How to weather proof your window box

Written by Maxine Dee

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How to "Season-Proof" Your Window Box

Gardening is such a relaxing escape. It teaches you to be disciplined, patient and will work out your muscles after a day's work. However, not everyone has the space for a garden. For those who live in a condo or apartment, the only way to keep a garden is with a window box. These are small boxes of sunshine that can be cultivated even in the smallest apartment window or condo balcony.

Our home window boxes are a mix of functional and pretty. Over the years, we've had petunias in the summer, ornamental kale in the winter, and asters in the spring, while keeping cooking herbs alive near the window. However, as the kids got older (my son is eight, my daughter 11), the amount of time planting, replanting and waiting for them to grow became a test of my patience. Being an incessant researcher, I found a couple of plants that will be present all year long and will need little maintenance during the twelve months of the year.

Here are a few tips on making your window box pretty all year long:

Pick perennial plants

Instead of annuals (plants that grow, germinate and die within a year) plant perennials or plants that live at least more than two years. These plants adapt mostly to weather in their natural climate. In an environment with conditions that are different from its native location, these need to be replanted each year. So for best results, pick the perennials that are native to your climate or location.

Keep it contained

Window boxes are intended to be decorative and not obstructions. Make sure the plants you pick will not be overgrown and block the sun streaming into your windows. Aside from there being nothing better than natural light, having an overgrown window box that blocks the sun is like something out of a haunted house from a horror movie. Contain your plants by trimming them before they take over the whole window.

Have them serve multiple purposes

For a window box that not only looks good, have the plants in some of your window boxes serve different purposes. Grow fragrant herbs to improve a room's ambiance or keep a box of herbs for cooking outside the kitchen window. Lavender, a hearty, attractive plant that needs little maintenance, grows beautiful purple flowers that smell great. In fact, in a report by Yahoo! Green, men were surveyed to find the smell of lavender (and pumpkin pie) more attractive than all other perfumes. Also try sage or thyme, needing little maintenance, these plants are useful in many recipes for your kitchen.

Pick the colors that coordinate with your style and theme

Consider your home's color scheme and make your plants part of your interior design plan. Sedums produce flowers that are light colored and small, perfect for pastel homes. Miniature roses are always beautiful, are hardy in the winter, and come in a variety of colors for you to admire. For a bold statement, pick the Gateway, a plant that offers a shock of red flowers that are high and clumped together. With their large flower heads that remind me of Las Vegas showgirls' feathered hats, Endless Summer hydrangeas are also one of my favorites.

Choose plants with the same watering schedule

For convenience's sake, pick perennials with the same watering schedule. You can also look into varieties of window boxes that can "self water" for a week because of built-in water reservoirs. Window box irrigation systems with electronic controls can also be installed to ensure that your plants are watered regularly when you're away for long lengths of time.

Without the backbreaking work of a full garden, a window box provides the therapeutic benefits that a garden brings while being packaged in a size appropriate for small homes.

Greening the environment is especially important to Maxine Dee, a mother and wife who is very concerned for her family and for the planet. She works for Treetopia.com, an online marketplace for artificial Christmas trees. Treetopia stocks a broad range of unusual, unique, even a pink Christmas tree.