Customising Your Window Box Containers
Customising Your Window Box Containers
Many containers that you might not usually associate with planting can be adapted for use as a window box, to give striking visual effects. These can include small metal buckets, copper kettles, old wooden boxes and anything else that takes your fancy.
Large cans, painted in dramatic colors can especially good lined up on a windowsill. Baskets can also be used as a window box, provided they are generously lined with moss or plastic before planting up.
The only considerations to bear in mind are that the containers should not be so tall as to obscure the view from the window and that it fits on the sill. It must also be possible to fix it safely on the windowsill without danger of falling off or being blown over by the wind. It will also be necessary to add drainage holes. These can be simply made using a drill with the appropriate bit for the material of the container.
Customising window boxes and other containers
If a container is not exactly what you want, you can paint or decorate it to suit your requirements. I have customised many a store bought container and completely transformed it.
Wooden, terracotta and plastic containers can be painted to tone in with your house or to complement a particular planting theme for maximum impact. You can even change the paint color seasonally to suit different plantings. The paint can be applied as flat color, in bold designs or with special effects such as marbling or crackle glaze.
As most window boxes are flat-fronted, they are easy to decorate with different materials, such as seashells, using self-hardening clay or a glue gun. For a mosaic effect, pieces of colored china, broken tile or mirror can be applied to create a pattern, using water-resistant tile adhesive and grout. Sketch out your design on paper before you start to avoid mistakes.
Customising your own window box is very therapeutic and the results can look fantastic.
Even if you are not artistically inclined or gifted, a simple design combined with stunning plants can look terrific. Not only will you be immensely proud of what you have achieved but your friends will also be suitably impressed and will want to know where you bought it.
The trick is to think carefully about the design of your window box, the plants you intend on using and how it will fit into the theme of your garden or home. If you get these elements right, whatever you do will look fabulous and will enhance the outside of your home.
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