15 Best Flowering Plants For Your Window Boxes

If you love flowers, having them in and around your home may have become second nature. Placing blooms where you can watch them grow and enjoy their spectacular colors brings joy, and tending them can be a great hobby. Starting a window box is the perfect way to have your favorite flowers in one place, and there are a variety of species you can choose from to really make it pop. While growing your own from seedlings is rewarding, for a window box you might want to visit a local greenhouse or nursery and choose from selections already in full bloom. This will allow you to pick the right colors, as well as view the different sizes and types available.

Building one of these gorgeous boxes can be an exciting endeavor, but you want to make sure everything will sit well together and grow next to one another in harmony. This is a good reason to pick from a specialty plant shop, too, as it allows you to learn a little about each species and what to expect. HGTV recommends considering location above all else, as many window box blooms need a lot of sunlight.

Once you choose your plant assortment, you can get them home and settle them into a window box you built or added to your window ledge. For help picking the best blooms for this project, the following species do well in such an environment.

When planting a window box, you'll want to fill it with filler flowers, as well as taller species that sit at the back. Geraniums are ideal for this second option, as their blooms can get fairly big, especially the zonal varieties. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, they need to have access to the sun for four to six hours every day, and only need water if the top inch of soil they sit in has gone dry. Don't overwater, otherwise, they can become corroded.

Verbena flowers are another ideal addition to a window box, and their notable appearance is only one reason for this. They can be found in multiple shades and tones, and some feature "eyes" that make them pop even more. If you're looking for a plant that will spill over the edge of your window box, these trailing blooms are the perfect option, creating a dreamy hanging effect of brightly colored flora. They are known for being heat-tolerant, and Gardening Know How notes they benefit from deadheading (trimming off wilting petals) as well as full sun. Avoid soggy soil with these plants, too.

These tiny flowers are fantastic for filling up a planter box, making it look lush and thick. They can reach the same heights as salvias, but they also spread out and intertwine throughout neighboring blooms. This makes them ideal for window displays. Like their fellow box species, they require full sun to help them grow, but they need more water than some of the aforementioned plants. Gardening Know How suggests soaking lantanas once a week, but more if they stop growing or their soil dries out too quickly. If this happens, water them more to keep them moist.

Recognized for the intoxicating smell these flowers emit, they also produce stunning blooms that come in a strange purple/gray color. Their tall stature is a good addition to your planters and window boxes, bringing a lovely scent as well as a textured aesthetic. American Meadows says to grow lavender plants in full sunlight, and use fertile soil that drains well when watered. This plant is known for being drought-tolerant, so once it matures, it doesn't require much moisture to thrive.

To add some leafy greens in with your blooms, look for sweet potato vines at your local nursery, and place them in a position where they can get six hours of sunshine. These thick vines can trail over the edge of your window box, creating a fluid feel to the whole assortment. Garden Design recommends using potting soil that fits a variety of purposes, and keeping the plant moist but not soaked. They should be watered once a week, and pruned whenever they get too big or start to outgrow their containers.

Another delicious and fun option for your planter box is the strawberry plant. All of these plants rely on full sunlight to flourish, so these will do well among the others you've considered. There are several different species to choose from, and if you plan to eat the berries, you'll want to ensure they are free of disease before planting, according to SFGATE. They do well when the soil can properly drain, and only need water when the first inch of dirt feels dry unless your climate is particularly dry during their blooming season.

This leafy green looks enchanting mixed in with bright blooms, thanks to its grayish-green appearance. Artemisia is a species of the daisy family, but unlike their petalled cousins, they don't sprout blooms. They do well in brightly sunlit areas and can handle dry weather without succumbing to wilted foliage. Artemisia is easy to care for because once they have matured, they don't require regular watering unless your area is suffering from drought conditions. Fine Gardening suggests pruning them to a compact shape to help them grow.