It’s hard to create a summer window box that not only will survive the Texas heat but will thrive! I put my mind and trowel to it when a friend asked me to help out.
Your initial creation might be spectacular in spring but can it retain its glory in 100 degrees? Here are some easy guidelines for making a window box. I like to categorize my plants into three sections: the thrillers (those that stand upright), the fillers (those that bush out), and the spillers ( those that trail). These catchy terms aren’t original with me. I read them in a gardening magazine and have always used them to check my impulsive buying at the nursery! They keep me on track to not buy more than what I need.
Therefore, here are my suggestions for your next SUN-LOVING flower summer potting project.
1. Upright Thrillers: dusty miller, opal and bush basil, ronamental pepper, sun-loving salvia, veronica
2. Bushy Fillers: zinnia, sun begonia, portulaca, marigold, periwinkle
3. Trailing Spillers: sweet potato vine, prostate rosemary, trailing thyme
SHADE_LOVING potting plants are best under the canopy of a tree or on the north side of the house.
1. Upright Thrillers: caladium bulbs, ferns (maiden-hair, tassel, asparagus), coleus
2. Bushy Fillers: impatiens, lambs ear, shade begonia
3. Trailing Spillers: wandering jew, spider plant, creeping betty
Planters show off their finery best when the plants are a bit crowded. Think of spectators at a concert crowded together raising their hands in the air. The same is with your compacted window box or planter. Everyone is vying for space, reaching up and out to the source of preferred light. Don’t stress about which plants to choose. It’s all about location, location, location. Pick the right plants according to sun position, water every other day, and you’ll be the envy of your neighborhood. You might have to water every day when the thermometer jumps into the 100s!
Have you planted your pots yet this spring?
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt!