Flower Framers of Cincinnati

Here's a few of our favorites and the most requested recipes from the Spring and Summer seasons! 

If you live in gardening zones 8-11, they can also thrive throughout the fall or early winter months - weather permitting.  Enjoy!

	Hot Tamale If you like your colors spicy hot, plant this design in a red box, or paint the box bright yellow. You may substitute your own plants. Grow in partial sun. How to do it: Plant coleus varieties 'Skyrocket' and 'Tabasco' across the back of the box, with New Guinea impatiens across the front and sides. Vinca vine trails in front.   Courtesy of Midwest Living Magazine
	How to do it: Wave Petunias, Salvia, Purple Verbena
	How to do it: Million Bells, Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens
	How to do it: Million Bells, Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens
	Red, White, & Nearly Blue This one's almost too easy. Plant petunias in red, white and the bluest-looking purple you can find. Use a red, white or blue box. Grow in full sun. How to do it: Buy equal numbers of each color of petunia and plant them in color stripes or randomly. Let the vinca vines cascade over the edges. Courtesy of Midwest Living Magazine
	Pastel Pleasures  If you decorate your house in pale pastels and love a light, delicate look, take a cue from this design. How to do it: Plant in an ivory-colored box, or try pale yellow or ice blue. Grow in full sun. How to do it: In the front two-thirds of the flower box, plant light-pink 'Wave' petunias and blue lobelia. Silver 'Icicle' helichrysum should be planted across the back. Vinca vine trails over the edges. Courtesy of Midwest Living Magazine
	Frosty Morn'  A chilly autumn morning view of your window box won’t be the same without these cool-weather beauties to greet you through the frosty glass. Don’t forget a steamy cup of hot coffee or tea to warm you up! Osteospermum — Cream Symphony Heuchera hybrid — Green spice Helichrysum thianschanicum — Icicles Salvia officinalis — Purpurascens How to do it: Plant three Icicles along the back of the box. In front of the Icicles in alternating spaces, plant four reen Spice. Across the middle section of the box, evenly space out and plant three Cream Symphony Osteospermum. Then finish off with four Purpurascens along the front.
	Candy Corn Just like a colorful bowl of these candy treats, your window boxes filled with these selections will be a weet feast for your eyes in scrumptious fall colors of lemon yellow, gold and orange! Hedra Helix — Yellow ripple Calibrachoa hybrid — Million Bells (terra cotta) Acorus gramineus — Ogon Osteospermum — Lemon Symphony Hot to do it: Plant three Ogon along the back of the box evenly spaced. Directly in front of the Ogon, plant three Lemon Symphony Osteospermum across the middle section of the box. In between the Osteospermum, plant two Million Bells, then finish off with two Yellow Ripple in the front of the box.
	Indian Summer This time of the year brings those sunny, balmy days of comfortable weather before the winter chill sets in. These colorful selections will brighten up any fall day. Carex buchananii — Leather leaf sedge Ajania hybrid — Bellania Bea Salvia officinalis — Icterinia Lysimachia nummularia — Goldilocks Calibrachoa hybrid — Million Bells (cherry pink) Plant three Leather Leaf Sedge across the back of the box evenly spaced. In between the Sedge and slightly forward, plant two Cherry Pink Million Bells. Across the middle of the box, plant three Bellania Bea evenly spaced. Alternate three Salvia and four Lysimachia in a zig zag pattern across the front of the box.
	Autumn Moonlight Silvery cool hues of blue, purple, white and soft green come together with these window box plantings typical of a crisp autumn evening with a misty full moon. Nemesia fruticans — Blue bird Aegyranthemum frutescens — Harvest Snow Heuchera hybrid — Amethyst Myst Hedra Helix — Glacier Lavandula Lantana — Silver leaf lavender Plant three lavender across the back of the box and two Heuchera in between. Spaced evenly, plant two Blue Bird Nemesia in front of each Heuchera (using four total). Across the front third of the box, evenly space and plant three Harvest Snow Frutescens. In between the Frutescens, plant two Glacier Hedra Helix directly in the front of the box.
	Pumpkin Spice Warm colors from the pumpkin patch and squash garden are combined in this recipe with the reliable Orange Mum just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving outdoor window box décor. Carex flagellifera — Toffee twist Hedera Helix — Goldstern Nemesia fruticans—Compact Innocence Dark Orange Chrysanthemum Osteospermum — Orange Symphony How to do it:  Plant three Toffee Twist across the back of the box. On each side of the middle Toffee Twist, plant two Nemesia (four total). Across the middle of the box plant three Orange Symphony Osteospermum with an Orange Mum in the open spaces (two total). Plant four Goldstern Hedra Helix across the front of the box spaced evely.

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On the Shady Side

Showing a little bit of color in partial shade, this textured arrangement looks good with almost any color box, but cool green works nicely.

How to do it: Purchase two coordinaing colors of impatiens, such as pink and burgundy. Divide the flower box into five sections and plant impatiens on each end and in the middle. Place Boston ferns in the remaining two areas and allow vinca vine (or other trailing plants) to flow over the edges.

Courtesy of Midwest Living Magazine

Lemon Meringue (part sun)

Frothy white and yellow flowers look yummy all summer long.  This recipe also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Osteospermum – Lemon Symphony
Verbena – Tukana White
Torenia – Summer Wave Blue
Lysimachia – Creeping Jenny ‘Goldilocks’

Directions:  In the front 2/3 of the box, alternate the Lemon Symphony and Verbena, then placing the Torenia slightly in front and between them.  Plant the trailing Goldilocks along the front edge of the box.  Place a few Dracaena Spikes along the back of the box for added height.

Mardi Gras (shade)

Just as festive and colorful as the real thing in New Orleans.  This planting recipe is more upright and has not as much trailing foliage. 

Impatiens – in mixed colors
Pink Splash
Asparagus Fern
Dracaena – Tri-color Spikes 

Directions:  Plant the mixed Impatiens in the front 2/3 of the box.  Slightly in front and between the impatiens, plant the Pink Splash.  Place the asparagus fern along the front edge and the Tri-color spikes across the back.

And This One Belongs To The Reds (full sun)

Red…the color of confidence and the name of our hometown baseball team – the Cincinnati Reds!  You can be confident this combination will look smashing and bold.

Supertunia - red 
Patio Verbena – Patio red
Vinca Vine – green & white variegated
Dracaena – green spikes

Directions:  Fill the front 2/3 of the box with the Red Supertunias.  Slightly behind and between the Supertunias, add the Patio Red Verbena.  Plant the variegated Vinca Vine along the front of the box.  Add the Green spikes along the back and now you’re ready for a beer and a hot dog!

Cajun Parrot (part sun)

This is for the adventurous gardener who wants something striking and unusual.  The colors are bright and spicy!

New Guinea Impatiens – Mango Orange
Single Impatiens – Cajun Mix
Lotus – Amazon Sunset
Coleus – Stained Glass Series & Kiwi Fern

Directions:  Plant the Coleus across the back of the box, then the Mango Orange Impatiens in front of the Coleus.  Fill in between the Cajun Mix Impatiens.  Then plant the Lotus in the front of the box.  Lotus has a feathery type foliage that will bloom with small orange-red flowers.

The Patriot (full sun)

This patriotic group of plantings will complement Old Glory just in time for July 4th!

Supertunias – red 
Dusty Miller – silver
Ivy Geraniums – red 
Vinca Vine – green & white
Scaveola – blue

Directions: Toward the back side of the box, plant the red Supertunias. Alternate the Red Ivy Geraniums and Blue Scaveola directly in front of the Supertunias. Plant the Vinca Vine along the front edge of the box. Lastly, plant the Dusty Miller along the back edge of the box.