Flower Framers of Cincinnati

Reprinted from MIDWEST LIVING magazine Please visit the original story online here

One of the easiest and quickest additions available to homeowners requires no architect, no building permit and only a modest budget. Spiff up a plain-Jane home just by adding window boxes you can decorate for every season.(continued inside...)

If it's practical, Jay says, bring the box itself with you to the garden center and play around with various plant combinations until you find the look you like. Coordinate the flower colors with the color of your house.

It looks fine if your window box runs the exact width of a window. But it actually looks more balanced when the box is an inch or two wider than the window. If you have shutters, measure from the middle of the left shutter to the middle of the right shutter (at least 3 inches past the window on each side) for the best appearance.

Select the right plants for the amount of sun your window box receives. Choose flowers and textures according to your personal style.

"Petunias are the staples of window boxes, like blue jeans are the staple of a casual wardrobe," Jay says. But if you prefer high fashion, dress up your box with exotic looking plants such as 'Amazon Sunset' lotus, 'Stained Glassworks Kiwi Fern' coleus or 'Icicles' helichrysum.

For maximum color in deep shade, on the north side of a house, for example, slip pots of impatiens and begonias into the window box, then add soil for foliage plants such as spikes and asparagus ferns. When the blooming plants decline (even shade-loving plants need light for best flowering), trade the struggling bloomers for new ones that have been growing in more light.

Jay suggests that you avoid placing the plants in a row inside the box--they look too regimented and unimaginative. Aim for more shape in the design by using a mixture of plants in a zigzag pattern, varying the plants in size and texture.

Increase curb appeal by adding "big color" in boxes on the front of your house, Jay says. You can do this by starting with large plants as your main elements. Tuck in smaller sizes of trailing and companion plants around the big bloomers.

Cincy's 'Miracle Mile'

Window boxes are so popular in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood that any unadorned windows tend to look naked. Ribbons of living color decorate the 19th-century town houses just north of the central business district, where volunteers sponsor a block or a building along the "Miracle Mile."

This neighborhood inspires homeowners throughout the city who tour the area, then copy a favorite window box arrangement. The self-watering, maintenance-free boxes designed by Flower Framers by Jay help plants thrive all summer. To develop a beautification program in your own community, see: www.flowerframersofcincy.com.

Here are four easy window box designs. The number of plants you need depends on the size of your window box, so we omitted suggested amounts.

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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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Pastel Pleasures

If you decorate your house in pale pastels and love a light, delicate look, take a cue from this design. 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 box, plant light-pink 'Wave' petunias and blue lobelia. Silver 'Icicle' helichrysum should be planted across the back. Vinca vine trails over the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

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 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.