any ideas for how to keep level, a windowbox on a sloped sill?
Lynn Nevins
12 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (7)
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
12 years agoDaMonkey007
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Need windowboxes without puncturing house siding
Comments (8)ItaliaCook, I had the same problem. We put on new siding and my husband will absolutely throttle me if I put so much as a single nail hole in it. I found a pouch-type thing - and I just spent a half hour looking for the package. Ack! I can't find it and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the pouch. I'll keep looking, but in the meantime, I'll try to describe it. It's kind of like those hanging pouches you see, but this one is a rectangle. It has pockets on it placed so you can hang it vertically like a pouch, or horizontally like a window box or around something like a tree or barrel. I obviously used it as a window box. (If used vertically it has four pockets; five horizontally.) Each pocket is not very big, but the plants I planted seem to be surviving okay - as long as I remember to water it. The way I used it was to put two eyehooks on the inside of my windowsill (inside the house) hanging under the sill. Doesn't look so great, and I tried to persuade DH that this looked worse than a hole in the siding, but I didn't win. Anyway, I then ran the two ties in through the window and secured them on the eyehooks. The ties are green and rather thick and a bit unsightly. I had planned on supplementing this with fishing wire, thinking I had seen grommet openings on the pouch. It turns out there was only one grommet on each side of the pouch, and not strategically placed, so I ditched the fishing line idea, and it seems to be holding up okay. Of course, I'm terrified of opening the window too much or too many times, but luckily it's in a window that we don't open too much anyway. But then I have replacement windows, which have that lip on them, so it makes it a bit more tricky than if you have regular windows with flat openings. The pouch itself really isn't big enough to fill the window side to side, and at first looked a bit pathetic, IMO, but as the plants filled in it wasn't so bad - or maybe I just got used to it, lol. It also sagged more than I liked, so it was kind of like a U-shape instead of straight across the window. I need to either move the eyehooks farther apart, or tie the strings shorter. I did use several trailing plants, which helps hide it so it doesn't look as bad as if it was visible. Overall, I kind of liked it more than having nothing, but I'm not quite sure if I will use it again next year. I actually got two for the windows on either side of my back door, but never got around to putting up the second one up because of moving furniture, drilling holes, etc. I'll try to find the package. I know the company had a website, and I tried to find that too, but no luck. If you want to try, I do know it was Flowa-something. By the way, I also posted here on the forums, and two of the ideas I received that I thought might be worth mentioning are those deck-edge hangers (which didn't work for me again because of that lip on the replacement windows) and hanging the boxes from the eaves. I thought that idea was interesting. People suggested hanging the window boxes from under the eaves, placed so the boxes were just under the window and would look like regular window boxes. Of course, this would most likely work only on either one-storey houses or on second-storey windows. It didn't work for me at all because I don't have any eaves! My roof ends right at the wall of the house, at least on the side. Another idea was to hang the boxes from the drainpipe/gutter, but I didn't want to try that. I'll keep looking for the name of those pouches. In the meantime, good luck! :) Dee...See MoreIdeas to level area for patio
Comments (5)I don't know how I double posted at 4:17 PM I wasn't even home!!!!! Good point about the hand tamper Marcinde, I didn't mention the gas tamper because it's not for a first timer without good instruction and experienced supervision, not a toy. I don't want to be too critical here but that patio isn't really a patio, it's a space with some furniture on it. I would get rid of the rock perimeter, they really aren't boulders. To me it's a tripping hazard and doesn't really serve a purpose. I might suggest you go online or to a big box store and get some design ideas for a patio for a natural setting and develop a plan before you do anything. A good design here really won't break the bank. My wife is an interior decorator but has some unique ideas here at our lakeside cottage. I'll show her and we will she if she has a suggestion for you....See MoreBackyard on a Slope - Mulch, Pine Straw, or Keep Grass?
Comments (10)I use the plastic edging around a garden that's on a similar slope in my yard to keep sheet water from flowing through and washing out the mulch. Given your neighbors' yards appear to be draining through the area and the amount of rain you get in NC, I'm betting you have a lot of water rushing through there at times. BUT if you completely blocked off the whole area with plastic edging, it would flow right over and do absolutely no good (not to mention ticking off the neighbors in the process). Therefore, you could divide the area into three or four beds, leaving at least a couple feet in between to allow water to rush through the grassed or rock channels. You can then mulch the beds without too much water running the gardens and washing out the mulch. I don't know how much water comes through that area, so I'll leave a necessary size of the beds and channels to you. This may not be the most aesthetically pleasing way to do this but it may help keep the mulch in place. If you do go through with this, be sure to watch the edging you buy. At least one big box seller with orange aprons, in addition to its cheap stuff, offers a "professional grade" in a larger bundle that's of much much better quality (taller, thicker, heavier, more rubbery) for not much, if anything, more. In addition to lasting longer, it's a lot easier to install IMO....See MoreYoung couple with new to them 1970's split level- SA landscaping ideas
Comments (18)Roselee- they have more energy than experience at DIY especially when it comes to landscaping. I know I did projects 10 or 15 years ago that i wouldn't think twice about hiring done today- mostly because I didn't realize what I was getting myself in to. But they've just finished some other projects that had to be hired out and are trying to do things that they can when it comes to the yard. I just don't want them to put a lot of sweat equity into this, and not have it look like they want at the end. Good point about the sprinklers. I wonder if they could be capped off somehow for now, but when they have a final layout maybe the water access lines could be converted to drip irrigation. Hmmm. Lynn Marie- I'm not sure you can call the mountain laurel healthy. It has a weird shape. I didn't include this picture initially because the lighting is horrible, but it shows a different angle for the mountain laurel. The trunk comes up at about 45 degrees from the ground and then 2 or three much smaller trunks shoot off straight up. It almost looks like someone tried cutting it down years ago, then it came back. Or maybe someone backed into it getting out of the driveway- it's pretty close to it. I guess you could limb it up some, but it would bug me if I was trying to back out. It's weird because the rest of the trees have been pruned and shaped pretty well You guys have made some great suggestions. Appreciate you looking it over and posting your thoughts. Thanks- Lisa...See Morecapoman
12 years agoDaMonkey007
12 years agocapoman
12 years agoHU-153763700
last month
Related Stories
LANDSCAPE DESIGNGarden Levels Transform a Steep Slope in Australia
From unusable to incredible, this outdoor area now has tumbled travertine, water features and mod greenery
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN11 Design Solutions for Sloping Backyards
Hit the garden slopes running with these bright ideas for terraces, zones, paths and more
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNHow to Design a Great Garden on a Sloped Lot
Get a designer's tips for turning a hillside yard into the beautiful garden you’ve been dreaming of
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNHow to Look Good From Any Angle (the Garden Edition)
Does your garden pique interest from one vista but fall flat from another? These tips and case-study landscapes can help
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGInsulation Basics: Designing for Temperature Extremes in Any Season
Stay comfy during unpredictable weather — and prevent unexpected bills — by efficiently insulating and shading your home
Full StoryECLECTIC HOMESHouzz Tour: Problem Solving on a Sloped Lot in Austin
A tricky lot and a big oak tree make building a family’s new home a Texas-size adventure
Full StoryTRADITIONAL HOMESHouzz Tour: A Historic Remodel Keeps the Romance Alive
It was love at first sight for the owner of a 2-centuries-old house. She and her husband renovated it with tender loving care
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESOriginal Home Details: What to Keep, What to Cast Off
Renovate an older home without regrets with this insight on the details worth preserving
Full StoryLIFEHow Your Landscaping Can Keep Burglars Away
Prevent home break-ins with strategic landscaping and good practices instead of menacing — and maybe less effective — measures
Full StoryFIREPLACESUpdated Woodstoves Keep Home Fires Burning
Better technology means more efficiency than ever for modern woodstoves
Full Story
Lynn NevinsOriginal Author