Window Box Gardening: 4 Best Window Boxes and Complete Guide for Newbies

Window box gardening is a form of container gardening, and it’s as varied as the plants and flowers you choose to put in them.

As much as for the simple enjoyment of festive, lush, and cascading plants and flowers, window boxes go a long way in enhancing curb appeal and creating a “finished” look to the home.

Part of the fun of creating window box gardening is in the selection of planting boxes you will use — this is the foundation for the look you want to create. Take into consideration the architectural design of your home, its exterior coloring and accents, and choose boxes that fit those characteristics.

What Materials Can be Used to Create Window Box Gardening?

• plain wooden boxes
• metal boxes, including copper
• fancy scrollwork designs
• fiberglass and vinyl
• inexpensive plastic
• self-watering boxes

Many prefabricated boxes come with hardware for mounting. It’s customary to mount the box to the home’s exterior for proper support, rather than to a windowsill, as plants will become heavier as they grow. This is important, especially in the case of larger boxes or containers.

If you want the look that window box gardening bring to the home, but don’t have the desire to mount boxes, here are three quick and easy options:

Decorative Plant Stand

This is one of the most popular ways to create window box gardening today. Place a freestanding, decorative plant box outside in front of a prominent window.

Tip: for this idea to look its best, you’ll want to use a plant stand equal in length to the window, or pretty close. Buy plants in terra cotta pots and align them the length of the box; this makes for easy clean-up when the growing season is over, or if you want to switch out plants for a quick redo of the box.

Bird Bath

Using a bird bath to create a window box for gardening brings a lot of luxury, but this method is not used much because it is quite expensive.

Choose a fanciful design—go oversize to really draw attention. Select several well-matched plants and group them in the center of the birdbath. For the best effect choose a mixture of flowers and trailing plants that will cascade as they grow.

You may choose to pot the plants in a low planting saucer that has a diameter slightly smaller than the bird bath. This idea is also great for small herb gardens.

Window Ledge

for a creative, no-fuss alternative to planting, use miniature, potted faux topiaries in the shape of small trees, like Boxwood or Needlepoint Ivy (about 16 inches tall). For color use potted rose topiary trees—they look beautiful lined up along a window ledge.

Helpful Tips:

• Whether natural flowers or faux, keep the look of your window box gardening and containers uniform if you are using multiples. Choose the same colors and varietals for each box so the look of your home is uniform.

• With real plants, use a liner in the box to prolong its use; make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the box (or drill them yourself) and in the liner.

• Stagger your plants; avoid planting or displaying in exact rows for greatest impact and show.

• Choose real plants based on the hours of daylight/shade the box will receive; water accordingly and add slow-release fertilizer to keep plants vibrant.

4 Best Window Box Gardening For Flowers

#1. Panacea Products Iron 30-inch Windows Flower Box

• Flat iron Series window and deck planter
• Black in color
• Powder coated finish
• Made of Steel
• Measures 8-inches in width by 30-inches in length by 7.8-Inches in Height

Sturdy and natural-looking window box gardening. It’s made from steel and inside from coco fiber.

#2. Panacea Products Cameo Series 30-Inch Window/Deck Planter

• Cameo wall or deck planter with coco liner which keeps soil tidy
• Powder-coated for added durability
• Made in China
• Cameo series window and deck planter
• The brown color powder coated finish has slight flecks of iridescence and helping the item capture sunlight

Coco liner keeps soil tidy and powder coated frame for more durability makes this flower planter awesome! Made from steel.

#3. Mayne Fairfield 5822B Window Box Gardening

#4. CYS Wood Rectangle Planters with Removable Zinc Liner

This window box planted with both wood and metal inside is the fourth and final product offered in our window box gardening series.