The Window Box Hack That Doubles Your Growing Space Instantly

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Plant lovers will agree, there's always room for one more plant. Plants add charming warmth to a home as they grace our spaces with beauty and life. What if we told you that there is a window box hack that gives you space for twice the number of plant buddies you currently have on display outside your window? It's easy and quick, but the results are stunning nonetheless! By suspending hanging plant pots from your window box, you'll open up space for even more living greenery.

To figure out how to make this hack work for you, start from the type of planter boxes you've got already. Open, patterned metal boxes, such as the Y&M Window Boxes Horse Trough with Coconut Coir Liner, are the easiest as the design lets you hang planters onto the bottom without any modifications. Rustic wooden window boxes are also simple. Use large cup hooks and simply screw them into the base. 

Plastic boxes can be trickier, but they're usually mounted on brackets that provide a convenient place for pot hooks. If the brackets sit too close to the base of the box for a hanging pot hook to fit, thread a large split key ring onto the bracket. Make sure the ring is big enough for the planter hook, and you're all set. It's better to use smaller hanging pots that won't be too heavy when filled with soil and plants. Once you've nailed the best method for watering hanging plant baskets, your window garden will thrive.

To take this arrangement from low-budget to a stylishly cohesive design, opt for hanging planters that match your window boxes. Black metal boxes teamed with black hanging pots will look intentional, while white plastic boxes pair well with white hanging pots. Make use of a stylish macrame hack to instantly elevate your hanging planters, complementing the look of the Handmade Store's Rustic Planter Box. Take the matching aesthetics a step further by selecting plants that create a living tapestry of color, from the top box to the planters below.

When selecting the best flowering plants for your window boxes, choose trailing plants to use in the hanging pots. String of hearts (Ceropegia woodii) is a sweet, romantic choice for those in zones 10 through 12. For a delicate cascade of tiny white flowers suspended on bright green stalks, go for mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera), which thrives in zones 9 through 11.

For bright pops of color, you can't go wrong with trailing snapdragon (Asarina procumbens), which does well in zones 9 through 10, or the bold shades of trailing ice plant's (Lampranthus spectabilis) pink, purple, or magenta daisy-like flowers in cooler weather in zones 10 through 11. And anyone in zones 2 through 10 can take advantage of the bold colors of creeping zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia).