While summers in Minnesota can be sunny and hot, many areas offer plenty of shady spots, especially in urban settings. Here are some tips for creating beautiful, shade-tolerant window boxes.
Choosing the Right Plants
A window box starts with plants and flowers that fit your personal style. With so many options to choose from, it can be intimidating to select plants that will complement each other. These shade-tolerant plants are great options to begin with.
- Impatiens: These classic shade-loving flowers come in a variety of colors and are easy to care for.
- Coleus: With its vibrant foliage in shades of green, red, purple, and yellow, coleus adds a splash of color to shady areas.
- Begonias: With several types of begonias to choose from like wax, dragon wing, and tuberous, begonias give you a wide variety of colors, bloom sizes, and foliage options to choose from.
- Fuchsias: These delicate flowers thrive in partial shade and come in a variety of colors. They are great if you are looking for something that hangs over the edge of your window box.
- Ferns: Ferns add a touch of elegance and texture to shady window boxes.
- Vines: Using vines such as vinca vina, creeping jenny, english ivy, or wire vine gives you excellent greenery options that trail and fill in space. Also they require little maintenance.
Designing Your Window Box
Once you have selected an assortment of plants, the next step is to design the window box. Have some fun with it as you try different approaches, but be sure to Plan and Prepare before you Plant.
- Plan your layout. Consider the width and length of your window box. For a balanced look, plant taller plants towards the back and shorter ones in the front. Stagger plants in a zig-zag pattern is a nice touch. Make sure not to overcrowd your plants! Remember, each plant comes with a tag that has recommended spacing listed on it.
- Prepare the soil. Make sure your window box also has adequate drainage! Use a high-quality potting mix. We recommend replacing window box soil each year due to nutrient depletion.
- Plant strategically. Plant your chosen plants, spacing them appropriately. Water and fertilize thoroughly after planting.
Window Box Maintenance
Window boxes don't last forever in Minnesota. To keep your window box fresh and healthy from spring to fall, don't just "set it and forget it." You'll be pleased with the beauty and longevity of your window box if you give it some love through the seasons.
- Water wisely. Water your window box regularly, especially during hot, dry periods. It’s important to check your plants daily and sometimes even twice daily. You want moist soil, but never saturated soil. Avoid overwatering.
- Fertilize regularly. Feed your plants with a balanced liquid fertilizer once a week. We recommend Jack’s Fertilizer, which you can pick up at any of our Garden Center locations.
- Deadhead as needed. Remove spent blooms to encourage continuous new growth and flowering.
