Better Homes And Gardens Window Boxes

window box with grass croton and sweet potato vine

Credit: Brie Williams

Lush window boxes resting on sills or hanging on railings never fail to dress up a house. All you need are the right plants to create a beautiful, long-lasting display. Use these window box ideas to create maximum curb appeal.

Bold and Beautiful Foliage

variety of plants on wooden window sill letters

Credit: Mike Jensen

You can't beat coleus for brightly colored foliage. This mix of super-saturated leaf colors will give you a great view out and give your home some eye-catching curb appeal all summer long. If you can't find the exact varieties in this example, any mix of coleus with contrasting light and darker hues will do, as long as they are varieties that tolerate full sun.

A. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Copper')—1

B. Lantana 'Dallas Red'—1

C. Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax)—2

D. Coleus (Solenostemon 'True Red')—1

E. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Big Blond')—1

F. Licorice vine (Helichrysum petiolare)—1

Unbeatable Flower Power

variety of flowers and plants in window box letters

Credit: Janet Mesic Mackie

One of the best window box flowers for sun is petunia. These vigorous annuals don't need much space and will happily bloom all season long. Here, soft pink double petunias look stunning spilling out of this window box, along with a darker pink verbena and chartreuse sweet potato vine.

A. Petunia 'Ruffle Pink'—2

B. Verbena 'Aztec Raspberry'—3

C. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Frilly Milly')—1

D. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Marguerite')—2

E. Angelonia 'Angelface White'—1

Go Big for a Large Window

Large window box Bacopa Torenia Calibrachoa Shrimp plant heliotrope strawflower daisy bacopa

Credit: Tom McWilliam

A big window needs a bold window box, and here's a great example. This container has it all: tons of texture, depth, and dimension. A mix of easy-care annuals provides colorful flowers and foliage all season-long.

A. Bacopa (Sutera 'Bridal Bouquet')—4

B. Torenia 'Catalina Blue'—1

C. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple'—2

D. Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana)—1

E. Heliotrope (Heliotropium 'Marine')—2

F. Daisy (Felicia 'Read's White')—2

G. Licorice vine (Helichrysum petiolare)—1

Cascades of Color

variety of plants in white window planter letters

Credit: Tom McWilliam

A no-fail trailing plant that's perfect for sun is the sweet potato vine. It's a fast grower that adds a lush, cascading look to any window box. There are a number of varieties, but a sure standout is this golden selection, which combines effortlessly with practically everything.

A. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita')—2

B. Snapdragon (Antirrhinum 'Floral Showers Rose Pink')—2

C. Browallia 'Blue Bell'—1

D. Pentas 'Graffiti Pink'—1

E. Snapdragon (Antirrhinum 'Floral Showers Apricot')—1

Design Tip: Repeat Groups of Plants

ivy topiary coleus and caladium in window box

Credit: Brie Williams

Repetition is a foolproof way to create a cohesive look in a window box. This 15-foot-long box is planted with repeating groups of ivy ball topiary, chartreuse coleus, sweet potato vine, and white caladium for a sense of flow and order. As a bonus, pale flowers and foliage seem to glow in moonlight, so you can enjoy this combination longer into the night.

Rocking a Railing

window box with grass croton and sweet potato vine

Credit: Brie Williams

Take the idea of a window box and put it on your porch or deck railings for a brilliant burst of color. Mixing wispy purple fountain grass, bold croton, and trailing sweet potato vine provides masses of texture. Even though the box is tightly packed, each plant stands out thanks to their varying shapes, sizes, and colors.

Railing Window Box Combination, Take Two

variety of flowers in planter on fence letters

Credit: D. Randolph Foulds

Here's another enchanting planting to decorate your deck. Because pansy is a cool-season plant, you have the opportunity to give your window box a new look as the seasons change. Don't be afraid to swap it out and replace it with a heat-loving plant such as blue angelonia to keep the color show going into summer.

A. Pansy (Viola 'Delta Beaconsfield')—3

B. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum 'Fordhook Favorites')—1

C. Lobelia 'Riviera Midnight Blue'—1

D. Dracaena marginata—1

Design Tip: Use Your Home for Inspiration

yellow exterior with herbs and flowers in window box

Credit: Brie Williams

Set your window boxes apart by tying in elements of your home's facade. Here, yellow blooms match the home's exterior and white caladium foliage coordinates with the window frames. Herbs such as thyme, oregano, and mint fill in this window box that hangs near an outdoor dining table.

Simple Is Beautiful

Window Box with letters

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

This small container garden is overflowing with color and texture. Dark purple foliage from sweet potato vine is the perfect partner for bright pink petunias and calibrachoas while also accenting this home's dark blue shutters.

A: Superbells Trailing RoseCalibrachoa—2

B: Supertunia Vista BubblegumPetunia—1

C: Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie')—1

Cottage Garden in a Box

Pink flowers container garden with letters

Credit: Richard Felber

An all-white wall may seem like it needs an explosion of color to dress it up, but you can create an equally impressive display by going with soft, subtle shades. Pink flowers are the perfect choice for adding cottage garden charm.

A: Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie')—1

B: Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare)—1

C: Petunia 'Carpet Lilac'—2

D: Verbena 'Aztec Pink Magic'—1

E: Wishbone flower (Torenia 'Summer Wave Blue')—1

F: Salvia 'Lady in Red'—1

G: Petunia 'Ramblin White'—1

H: Petunia 'Pink Daddy'—1

Miniature Edible Garden

variety of plants in yellow wooden window box letters

Credit: Eric Roth

Imagine reaching out your kitchen window and grabbing a handful of edible flowers, herbs, or even vegetables to enhance a meal. Edibles with ornamental appeal can even do double duty in a window box. Select compact varieties, such as patio tomatoes bred for containers, so your plantings don't grow out of control.

A. Pansy (Viola 'Matrix' series)—3

B. Scented geranium (Pelargonium 'Rober's Lemon Rose')—1

C. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum 'Alaska')—2

D. Everbearing strawberry (Fragaria 'Ozark Beauty')—3

E. Bell pepper (Capsicum 'Purple Belle')—1

F. Johnny jump up (Viola tricolor) —3

A Feast for the Senses

Window Box with numbers

Credit: Eric Roth

This lush arrangement also offers plenty of edible foliage and flowers to use in the kitchen. An assortment of herbs offer delicious flavors and aromas, while edible Johnny-jump-up flowers provide a splash of color among the greenery.

A: Spearmint (Mentha spicata)—3

B: Flat-leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum)—2

C: Lavender cotton (Santolina chaemacyparissus)—2

D: Variegated lemon thyme (Thymus xcitriodorus 'Variegata')—1

E: Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor)—3

F: Marjoram (Origanum majorana)—1

A Butterfly Buffet

butterfly garden window box plan

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

Butterflies love easy-growing, sun-loving flowers. This colorful window box of bold purple and yellow blooms contains a variety of textures that will keep pollinators coming back all summer long. And parsley is a host plant for swallowtail butterfly larvae.

A:Verbena 'Aztec Purple'—1

B: Parsley (Petroselenium crispum)—4

C:Zinnia 'Profusion White'—2

D:Pentas 'New Look White' —1

E:Lantana 'Landmark Gold'—3

F:Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple'—2

Design Tip: Create Contrasts

gate window box with hibiscus ivy and moss

Credit: Brie Williams

Garden designers know the power of contrast. Whether you're contrasting colors, shapes, or sizes, plant an eye-catching combo of opposites to give your plantings more visual impact. In this garden gate container, the large, colorful leaves of red-orange copperleaf and variegated sea hibiscus stretch upward, creating a pleasing contrast with more finely textured Spanish moss and trailing English ivy.

Mix and Match Flowers and Foliage

variety of plants in planter in garden letters

Credit: Richard Felber

Playing with different shapes and colors of flowers and foliage adds excitement. Here, grassy-looking flax lily leaves appear to burst out of clouds of starry white zinnia flowers. The paler stripes of green on each flax lily leaf are echoed by trailing sweet potato vine, with the perfect lime green hue to contrast with the hot pink blooms of impatiens.

A. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita')—2

B. Flax lily (Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata')—3

C. Zinnia haageana 'Star White'—3

D. Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue'—2

E. New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens 'Sonic Sweet Purple')—3

A Synergy of Textures and Colors

variety of plants in wooden window box letters

Credit: Ann VanderWiel Wilde

The silvery leaves of plectranthus give this window box some chunky yet graceful texture, making a dynamic contrast with the delicate-looking blooms of begonia and lantana. The tiny leaves of trailing creeping Jenny spilling over the side further enhance the effect.

A. Plectranthus argentatus 'Silver Shield'—2

B. Dragon Wing pink begonia—2

C. Lantana 'Landmark Gold'—2

D. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)—3

Design Tip: Think Outside the (Window) Box

rustic window flower box with succulents

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

No one said a window box has to be an actual box or it must involve a window. You can get creative to express your style and vision for your garden. For example, this rustic window box is comprised of a hen nester and vintage farm containers that are filled with shasta daisies, annual vinca, and dwarf gerbera daisies. Succulents such as hens-and-chicks, echeveria, and sedum, plus trailing bacopa round out the look.

Try It on a Trellis

variety of plants on wooden trellis letters

Credit: Bill Stites

Trellises are a great way to give your deck, patio, or yard a little privacy. If you're not able to grow vines on your trellis, try creating a colorful display with a lightweight window box. This moss-lined trough is filled with colorful plants that, when placed strategically, give you a double dose of screening.

A. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita')—1

B. Impatiens 'Fiesta Rose'—2

C. Marigold (Tagetes 'Durango Yellow')—1

D. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Designer Cherry')—1

E. New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens 'Sonic Cherry')—1

F. Wax begonia (Begonia 'Prelude Scarlet')—1

G. Viola 'Sorbet Plum Velvet'—1

Make a Mock Window

variety of flowers in wooden planter letters

Credit: Elvin Mcdonald

Be playful with window boxes and enjoy them even if you don't have a window. This weathered box made of planking goes vertical with a vintage window frame attached to the back. The window frame is a perfect trellis for a tropical mandevilla. Bonus: Attach this to a fence and insert a mirror behind the window frame for even more appeal and the illusion of more space.

A. Mandevilla 'Alice du Pont'—1

B. Aster alpinus 'Beechwood'—3

C. Aster alpinus 'Dunkle Schone'—3

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