Autumnal Windowboxes

These beautiful planted window boxes are from Jayson Home and Garden, a company based in Chicago. The thoughtful use of colour on the bottom planter is stunning, whereas the herb box (middle) gives culinary herbs their due in an overflowing display of green . Unfortunately they don't deliver to the UK, but their lovely window boxes can be an inspiration to us all.

A good white window box is hard to find...

We have been searching high and low for a white window box at Garden Boutique. It is not an easy task, as so many white window boxes begin to look tatty and cheap after only a couple of weeks in the garden.

Recycled aluminium planter - powder coated white window box
£310 from Garden Boutique

Finally, we have found a white window box that stands up to the task. The bad news is that it is not cheap. It seems perfection comes with a hefty price tag.

The good news is that these white window boxes are nigh on indestructable. The planters are colour powder coated as a whole single piece so that there are no seams or joints on the exterior surface into which water could penetrate. Then they are baked at 180 degrees centigrade to allow the powder colour to super adhere into the aluminium surface to create exceptional colour longevity.

Each white window box comes with a 16 year colour guarantee so you know it will look good for years to come.

Aged Zinc window box for classic window box style

Aged Zinc window box availble in 3 sizes
From £16.95 at Garden Boutique

Aged Zinc window boxes and pots have an amazing patina. They have a lovely matt finish that looks old without looking tatty. This zinc window box is a favourite with garden designers as it's classic good looks are timeless and go with everything...
The aged zinc window box is available in 3 sizes: 40cm zinc window box, 60cm zinc window box and 80cm zinc window box.


Matching zinc pots and zinc tubs are also available from Garden Boutique from £9.50

Window box brackets for hanging windowboxes - adjustable hooks

Window box bracket - adjustable hooks - perfect for hanging your windowbox over a balcony wall or railings. Available as an adjustable window box bracket 37cm or 60cm long.

Garden wall bracket for window boxes also available in two sizes.

Check out our range of brackets for securing window boxes.

Adjustable window box bracket XL - 60cm long
£20.95 from Garden Boutique

The adjustable hook bracket can be adjusted to fit over walls/railings from 1cm W to up to 16.5cm W. This window box bracket will support a window box up to 6okg in weight.

Red Painted Iron Windowbox - year round windowbox colour

Painting your windowbox a bright colour, or buying a coloured windowbox is a great way of cheering up a house or business. Just see how the simple planting of cylamen, ivy and skimmia is lifted out of the ordinary by this vivid red windowbox.


I spotted this fabulously ornate red windowbox outside a restaurant in Birmingham. Isn't it an elegant solution?

ADD TOPIARY TO YOUR WINTER WINDOWBOX

Topiary can provide a great anchor to any windowbox planting scheme, but becomes especially important in the winter months.


If you want to include topiary shapes in your windowbox, but don't want to wait, try using a wire topiary frame in your windowbox and grow ivy through it instead...

Traditional plants such as box and yew can take several years to give the desired effect with a topiary frame, but ivy will produce a convincing shape far more quickly.

Alternatively, choose a topiary frame that will clip around an existing plant - so that you can trim it into shape...


New Topiary
New Topiary is this new technique for creating topiary forms using ivy and topiary frames. It has been developed over the last two decades in the USA, in particular at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, by topiary expert Patricia Riley Hammer.

Instead of training ivy over a bare frame, the topiary frame is stuffed with either sphagnum moss, or with a surface lining of sphagnum holding in a central core of compost. Rooted ivy cuttings are then planted into the frame and the shoots are pinned to the surface, into which they will root.

Hedera helix cultivars such as ‘Eva’, ‘Goldchild’ or ‘Shamrock’ are small leaved ivy's that are well suited to this method. Patricia advises that they should be spaced about 10-15cm (4-6in) apart. With careful irrigation, this method should give complete surface coverage in around three months.

For more information, you can read her book The New Topiary: Imaginative Techniques from Longwood Gardens



Topiary frames are sold from specialist shops - or you can make them yourself from chicken wire.

This Squirrel topiary frame from Garden Boutique is hinged
so you can simply clip it around your plant and trim to shape

For smaller frames (which can be fiddly to make) it is often worth buying a pre-moulded topiary frame.

Small topiary frames can be found at Windowbox Supply and specialist topiary companies

Window Boxes for Winter

Window boxes can make a great cheery display throughout the cold winter months.

This window box from Cottage Living.com contains trailing ivy, ornamental kale and cabbages, heather and red berberis

To enjoy the best effect from your window boxes, you will need to remember a few window box rules:

1/ Choose a deep planter or window box.
Soil will help to insulate plant roots from the cold and freezing weather so make sure there is room for plenty of lovely soil in your window boxes.

2/Site your window boxes in a sheltered location.
Place them under porches or in deep window recesses if you can. Alternatively, site your window boxes where they will escape frosty weather, and receive plenty of sunshine.