Hi everyone:
I'm planting window boxes for the first time this year. They are against brick on an east facing wall so they'll only get sun til 1pm in mid-summer. Summer here is pretty hot and very humid.
I'm trying a blue/yellow/white combo. My plan is blue lobelia, sweet alyssum, peach-colored impatiens, and some apricot colored violas. The boxes are about 32" long, and 8" deep, 8" wide.
I'm looking for ideas for a sort of spill-over, trailing, kind of filler for the front of each box. I know the alyssum will do that in part, but does anyone have any suggestions for something a little more substantial. I thought of English ivy as I have lots of it, but I'm afraid it will crowd everything else out of the box.
Your thoughts, help, even photos very welcome!!
TIA!
Deb
This message was edited Feb 17, 2007 5:24 PM
Window box suggestions, ideas?
The things that came to mind were Wandering Jew (would add purple and green to your color combination though), sweet potato vine (a lovely light green), or even Morning Glories- like the ivy, you'd just have to train the tendrils for a little bit so they wouldn't invade the rest of the planter. Once they start hanging over the edge, they trail that way fairly reliably. Moonflower perhaps? Its really fragrant at night, and like the Morning Glories would train over the edge. Clitoria vine might work as well. Asparagus fern (Sprengeri) also does well in windowboxes, and so do the trailing varieties of Coleus- just google it and you'll find all sorts of varieties (Trailing Salamander or Tell Tale Heart come to mind). Also one of the trailing varieties of fuchsia that is sun tolerant- google this as well. Perhaps burro's tails (it's a succulent)? Wave petunias are pretty, as well as the trailing types of Nasturtiums. Food for thought :-) I love this time of year- planning the garden! Take care- Samantha
Samantha: I'm looking up several of those suggestions! Thanks for you ideas. I knew there were other possibilities than ivy alone. :)
Thanks.
Deb- You'll definitely have to keep us posted as to what you choose :-) I've got this mental picture of your windowbox, but its missing the part hanging over the front LOL.
Take care-
Sam I Am
Samantha: I will definitely post an update. :)
Deb
I have a 6-foot window box that I got last year (I've wanted one for 10 years and finally treated myself). We don't have the humidity issue here but I'm with you on the hot part. I used a soil mix of 1/2 container soil and 1/2 coconut fiber, also called coconut coir. It can be hard to find but it works better for me than the water crystals and is a natural, renewable resource.
I had great luck with a white Bacopa as a trailier in the front of the window box. I also had
'blackie' sweet potato vine which didn't do as well but my window box is on a hot southeast facing window. I know petunias are generic but mine did amazingly well. Lots of other plants but in a hot south exposure they would be mostly different than what you used. I have a picture of the window box but it was taken soon after we installed it so the plants haven't filled out yet. This year we'll have drip irrigation to the window box thanks to the new sprinkler system we installed last fall so I'm hoping my plants fare better this year when the 100 degree days hit.
For some reason, it won't let me attach a picture from my photobucket account. If anyone can tell me how, I'll post it here. Sorry~!
You might want to go online to Mischel's Greenhouses and look for trailing plants. Their catalog shows many combinations and it's free.
Bindersbee: Thanks for the suggestions. Sweet potato vine would probably do great but I have it in a couple of pots nearby so I was hoping to find others. It's so reliable, tho, that I may end up using it after all. I'll look into Bacopa, too.
Pirl: Thanks for the reference source. I'll see what ideas I can get from there!
Thanks!
Deb
My sweet alyssum and lobelia will be going dead looking in another month....they just won't take the heat of summer...
I still love variegated Algerian ivy trailing down window boxes more than any other one thing....or even the green algerian ivy because the leaves are giant ......It takes a lot more sun than English...besides you are talking about being on the east side of the house...
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/76580/index.html
sorry I don't know how to hyperlink....
these are scrawny new plants, but you can see the ivy....
I just hyperlinked and didn't know what i was doing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats, bettygail, both on the lovely pic and hyperlinking it correctly! ;-)
Bettygail: Good job! Thanks for the ivy info.
Deb