THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604050070
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 219 lines
WINDOW BOXES bring to mind British row houses, French country cottages and Colonial homes. They add a warm, welcoming feel, wherever they're placed.
Flower boxes are as versatile as the buildings they adorn and can make a quick and colorful statement about the owner's personality.
Throughout Europe, especially in Great Britain, Germany and Holland, flowers hang from lamp posts, balconies and windows. Not just on homes and apartments but at offices, shops, hospitals, pubs and even gas stations.
The tradition migrated to America, brightening otherwise austere Colonial homes. But somewhere along the way, it was lost. Americans moved to the suburbs. Quaint window boxes and precisely planned gardens gave way to sprawling lawns and showy landscapes.
Now, window boxes are back. Americans are rediscovering the advantages of these compact plantings that punctuate a building's facade:
Interesting forms;
Rainbow of colors;
Adaptability to location;
Statement of style.
Now is the time to make or buy a window box, so it will be ready to plant when the weather warms. The major points to consider when planning a window box are: size and type of box, material used to make the box, drainage, soil mixture, selection of plants suited to the exposure and maintenance, according to ``America's Garden Book,'' by James and Louise Bush-Brown.
The secret to a lavish window box is to crowd the plants. Put them closer together than you'd plant in your garden, and you'll get a lush look in just a few weeks.
With wise plant selection, window boxes will provide bright color from early spring through mid-autumn.
Garden books and magazine articles abound with advice on what and how to plant. ``The Green Thumb Garden Handbook'' by Doc and Katy Abraham (Lyons and Burford, $16.95 paperback) gives nuts-and-bolts instructions.
``The ideal window box should be at least 8 inches deep (inside measurement) with the length depending upon the space available, and 10 inches wide,'' the Abrahams write. ``The larger the box, the less care and watering it will require.''
But be careful the box doesn't get unwieldy to handle or mount.
Traditional window boxes are made of wood, but also come in metal, plastic and concrete. Light-painted wood keeps plants cooler than either dark-colored woods or metal, an advantage in hot, sunny locations.
For wooden boxes, use cypress or redwood boards at least 3/4-inch thick to prevent decay. Paint inside and out with a wood preservative or paint that is not toxic to plants. Use brass screws, not iron screws or nails, which rust quickly.
Rectangular boxes should extend the width of the window, but not all window boxes need be rectangular. For a European flair, consider a rounded copper window box. Or take your inspiration from the English countryside and use a hayrack-designed window box.
Attach the window box to a windowsill or fence using screws and use a 1/2-inch spacer to prevent moisture build-up. Mount the window box so the top edge is just below the windowsill.
If you can't build a window box, there are ready-made versions that can be easily attached. One brand, called Flower Framers, comes with a lifetime guarantee. Durable and lightweight, it has a concave bottom lined with mesh that diverts water to side drainage holes. Its hanging system makes it easy to bolt to a wall, deck or window frame. Flower Framers are white but can be painted. (Ordering information below.)
Planting a window box is often easier than planting a garden in the ground. And it can be put anywhere - on an apartment balcony, a suburban privacy fence, an urban stoop or a downtown office window.
But window boxes can get ugly, if they aren't cared for. The main difference between ground and container plantings is that potted plants may require more frequent watering and feeding. They can't draw water and food from the ground and will quickly turn ugly with neglect.
Plants can be kept in their pots and surrounded by peat moss in a window box rather than planted in the soil. That makes it easy to change plants with the season or replace an ailing plant, but more watering will be required.
Don't discard your window box at the end of the growing season. You can bring it indoors to grow herbs, flowers or vegetables.
Or keep it outdoors and replant with bulbs. If the box is 14 inches across, bulbs will not freeze, says Sally Ferguson at The Netherlands Flowerbulb Information Center in New York. If smaller, protect the box from wind and cold by wrapping heavy carpet around the sides and bottom or move it to an unheated garage for the winter.
Ferguson also suggests forcing bulbs in containers indoors to get early blooms. Then put the pots in your outdoor window boxes in late February or March. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
FLOWER FRAMERS
Fiberglass window boxes from Flower Framers can easily be bolted to
a window frame, deck or fence.
SUNSHINE PEAT MOSS
Red geraniums fill a cow-shaped window box, ideal for a farmhouse or
country cottage.
ROBERT STIFFLER
Window boxes adorn public and private buildings throughout England.
JACKSON & PERKINS
Tall flowers such as astilbe work in the back of a planter with
ferns and begonias up front.
\ Photo
Jackson & Perkins
A combination of daylilies, scabiosa, begonias and ornamental
strawberries makes an attractive window box.
Graphics
PLANTS FOR WINDOW BOXES
For sun:
French marigolds with Blue Bedder ageratum.
Scarlet sage, dwarf snapdragons, and creeping zinnias.
Miniature dahlias of all colors, with white alyssum to trail over
the edge.
White geraniums and dark purple petunias.
Dwarf snapdragons, dwarf celosia and scarlet verbena.
Pink geraniums with deep blue petunias and white alyssum.
Orange lantana, purple verbena and variegated periwinkle.
Miniature roses with trailing plants such as asparagus fern.
Keep the roses in their pots and replant in your garden before
winter.
Spring bulbs such as dwarf jonquils, paper white daffodils,
miniature tulips and hyacinths mixed with pansies, Johnny-jump-ups,
violas and violets.
For light shade:
Impatiens, using a low-growing variety that will trail over the
edge.
Coleus
Begonias
Torenia
Vinca minor
Spring primroses
Sweet William (dianthus)
Some geraniums
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL WINDOW BOX
Drainage: Be sure your window box has drainage holes. One every
6 inches will allow excess water to move away from plant roots.
Cover the drainage holes with fine mesh to keep the potting mix from
washing out.
Soil Mixture: Good garden loam with humus is ideal for flower
boxes, says ``America's Garden Book.'' Special growing mixes are
available in garden or home centers, and one of the best is Sunshine
Growing Mix. It includes peat moss to allow aeration of roots and
retain moisture. Fill your box with the growing mix and then plant.
Do not use ``top soil,'' because window boxes need a lightweight
mix.
Plant Arrangement: Arrange plants like a school picture - tall
ones in the back, short ones in front. Plants in the back of the
box should grow upright; center plants should have a mounding habit;
and front plants should trail over the front of the box. Water
plants well before planting so the potting medium will cling to the
roots. Don't let bare roots be exposed to dry air or wind.
Watering: Watering is the most important factor in maintaining a
window box. Soil dries out quicker in a window box than in the
ground, because the container is exposed to air on three sides. For
the first few weeks after planting, make sure the potting medium is
kept moist. Water a window box by touch, not sight. If the potting
mix feels dry at a depth of 1 inch, it's time to water. For window
boxes above ground level, use a watering wand or consider a drip
irrigation system. Many can pump water as high as 30 to 40 feet,
depending on water pressure. Water reservoirs, known as ``plant
sitters,'' can be found in garden centers and are another good way
to keep window boxes watered.
Feeding: After several weeks of watering, plants in window boxes
will benefit from a regular feeding. Use a time-release or organic
fertilizer so it will last a long time.
Pest Control: Watch for red spider mites, the most offensive
pest in window boxes, according to ``The Green Thumb Garden
Handbook.'' They can be controlled by frequent sprayings with a
garden hose. Be sure to spray the underside of the leaves.
THE BEST BOX
What: The Sunshine Creative Windowbox Contest is planning to
pick the best window box in the country. If you have it, you will
win a trip for two to Venice. More than $10,000 in additional prizes
will be awarded.
Who can enter: Any U.S. residents who are 18 years or older.
Deadline: Entries must be received by Aug. 1.
Info: Call (800) 665-4592 for an entry form.
TO BUY, ORDER OR GET INFORMATION
The Portsmouth Kiwanis Club will sell flower boxes and plants
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. next
Sunday at the Courtyard Building, 313 High St., downtown Portsmouth.
Kiwanis Club members donated the treated wood and built the
36-by-8-by-8-inch boxes that will sell for $35 apiece. Plant
selection and growing information will be given with each box. The
Portsmouth Olde Towne Civic League and Trinity Episcopal Church each
donated $300 to offer free flowers to the first 60 flower-box
purchasers from Olde Towne or Swimming Point. Plants are provided by
Coleman Nursery, Tidewater Feed & Seed and Norfolk County Feed &
Seed. Proceeds will benefit Virginia Children's Museum and the
Kiwanis Trauma Care Unit in the Children's Hospital of the King's
Daughters. For information, call Nate Mewhinney at 397-2787 or
397-1095.
Sun Gro Horticulture offers a free, 16-page booklet called
``Creative Ideas for Window Boxes from Sunshine.'' Call (800)
665-4592.
Sources for hayrack window boxes and hanging baskets: The Kinsman
Co., River Road, Point Pleasant, Pa. 18950. Call (800) 733-4146 or
fax (215) 297-0450. Catalog is free.
Flower Framer window boxes are shipped by UPS to all areas.
Prices range from $40 for a 2-foot box to $230 for a 12-foot box.
Call (800) 315-1805 or write 671 Wilmer Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio
45226.
by CNB