Planting a Winning Windowbox
I have made no secret of my disappointing past results with my windowbox flowers. This year, that is all going to change.
My new winning ways began with major soil rehabilitation. I removed half of the windowbox soil and replaced it with a mixture of 2 parts new garden soil, 1 part composted manure, and a healthy dash of Soil Moist water retention additive. This improved soil should have the nutrients the plants need to thrive and do a better job of keeping the plants’ feet wet instead of baking to crisp inside the brick planter in the direct morning sun.
The plants I picked for the windowbox are also proven winners. Sweet potato vine, nasturtiums, and lantana were all recommended by a master gardener friend as plants that not only look great in a windowbox but are also drought- and heat-tolerant. Both the potato vine and nasturtium are trailing forms that should look really great when they get big enough to spill over the side of the planter.
4 Responses to “Planting a Winning Windowbox”
Looks great, and I’m sure that they will grow beautifully.
Im sure this soil mixture will help out a bunch. One thing I was told about my tomatoes, and maybe it can be helpful for your flower box, is to monitor the soil moisture content with an electronic device. The worst thing you can do to a plant is over water. My problem is both extremes… I either over water or fry my plants by not watering enough. In a small box like these they can dry out pretty quick. Looks nice!
The plants look so nice. Have you tried those self-watering things (like the watering globes) that will give the plants water when they need it?
Thanks, everyone, for the compliments and the ideas for keeping the windowbox properly watered. So far I’m doing well just using the watering can every day or two– the well-fertilized soil and the SoilMoist additive seem to be doing their jobs.