Flower filled window boxes dress up your home's exterior.
Hi, I'm William Moss and I want to show you how to create a window box for all seasons
by changing out the plants, keeping it fresh and fun.
First, the basics... Your window box has to have drainage holes like all containers.
If they don't have holes in them, you've got to get a drill and put some in yourself.
That way the plants won't rot out and sit in this thing that's too soggy.
Secondly, the size... It needs to be the same width
as your window and the depth needs to be about six to eight inches
to allow proper root run. And third... you've got to put a good potting soil mix
in your container, your window box. You don't want
to use anything from the garden or yard... that stuff is way too heavy. You need
a lighter mix
for your window box. You want to fill up about
two-thirds full of soil... we're almost there now...
then we're going to add a structural element,
a small tree. Alberta spruce, like this guy,
small boxwoods, a small abervides, make great additions
to window boxes cause they're evergreen and they will hold their color
all year... and it's a great focal point.
Now let's start with our seasonal plantings. For spring,
we like to add cold weather,
tough and hardy flowers like these pansies.
Get a few of them in here. Pansies are a great choice
because they bloom for a long time and they can take temperatures
even down to freezing. Perennial herbs are also great additions in spring.
These chives are gonna fit beautifully in here,
and we've also got some parsley that we're gonna put in here.
And this box is ready to go all spring.
The heat of summer is gonna wilt the pansies, so we got rid of those guys and we're going to replace them
with some summer loving annuals... but we can leave in
the Alberta spruce and our herbs, because they can take
the summer weather. Two great choices for replacing the pansies
are petunias, which love the heat of summer and
will cascade over the side and really make your window box pop.
And geraniums, and these guys also
are lovers of that summer heat and will bloom
all season long we Adam you want to make sure
but as you're opening them up if you have tangled roots,
you just kind of pull them out a bit and then place them on in a pot.
That way to roots will spread out and grow all throughout the pot.
And now this window box is set for summer will give us color
through all those sizzling hot days.
As fall brings the cooler temperatures, you'll have to get rid of those summer annuals,
they just won't perform as well. But that's a great time to
change it out with some Asters or Mums, or
we can go back to our pansies because they are a cool weather plant.
So we're going to throw a few more pansies in here
to add that fall color, and we still got
our Alberta spruce and our herbs growing well...
we can even still cut them for recipes. And now the window box
has a fresh fall feel with a few change outs.
As freezing temperatures arrive, all the plants have to come out except the small tree.
This Alberta Spruce has a holiday feel,
and adding cut evergreen balls, like these pines and junipers,
just continues that theme. We'll throw in
a few ornaments. You can use
natural ornaments too like the pine cones we have placed out in front. And now we have
a window box
that'll take you all the way through winter and back to spring again.
A window box with year-round beauty is easy
when you start with an all-season structure like a small tree,
and then switch out the flowers and other plantings
as the seasons progress. You will have a beautiful view all year long.