Ever since we bought the house, last July, I’ve been planning window boxes for underneath the two front windows. I thought I knew what I wanted as far as the boxes go, and I was all ready to order these black paneled boxes, that went well with the craftsman style of the house. Right before I placed the order, good thing I took some measurements, because they ended up being huge in that they would be protruding into the sidewalk, harassing any passerby-ers with their sharp corners and overflowing flowers. At this point I realized I needed a long slender box style, with a width and depth no more than 8 x 8, and a length of no less than 48 inches …. this proved extremely difficult to find. Most standard sized window boxes were much to deep. I finally found these copper finished ones from a catalog called Grandin Road. Black window boxes were the obvious choice, but then I realized the copper ones might be even better, making the historical marker "pop"! Now this has snowballed into changing the house numbers from black to copper/bronze as well.
For flowers, I visited Wilson Farm in Lexington because of their wide selection of blooms to choose from. I in no way claim to have a green thumb. I know nothing about plants and flowers, so it was really difficult trying to figure out what to put in these boxes. After a couple of hours of trying different flower options, I settled on Yellow Dalhlias to anchor the edge of each box, next are Kalanchoe with their tiny light pink and yellow petals, and then some purple colored pansies to match the house in the middle. I also added some ivy, here and there, for dramatic effect! I’m not sure I made the best choices, for what will do well in the light that we have, and for being planted in a crowded area, but the aesthetic combination was so appealing to me, I figured I’d give it a shot and see how well they do!
Its amazing how much the two boxes change the look of the house overall. It really classes it up, in my opinion anyway, giving the exterior a playful softness and adding some character. I don’t want to rush fall in before summer has even started, but I am already thinking about what I can plant for my fall and winter boxes!