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City Gardener: Fun With Winter Window Boxes
Winter's chill and a lack of yardage don't need to deter you from bedecking your windows with eye-catching arrangements like these
Laura Fenton
March 9, 2012
In the city, we gardeners are challenged for space. That means window boxes, fire escapes and the gaps in our sidewalks become opportunities to garden. When winter wanes, window boxes make the transition from bare displays to showcases for spring blossoms. Here are some window boxes at the end of winter to inspire the last of the cold-weather weeks. I can't wait to see what spring displays lie around the corner!
Window boxes can be in a state of constant change with new plants rotating in all the time. These urban gardeners have added some cheerful cyclamen (a fairly hardy blossom) to their winter ivy for a breath of early spring.
Pinecones, evergreens, and winterberries are tucked into a box planted with boxwood bushes and ivy plants, giving it a lush look during a time when it is hard to grow leafy greens.
A white painted window box is a country-chic addition to a home's exterior, even if you live in the city. Here a winter planting of cabbages keeps the box green until it's time to plant warm-weather annuals.
The Washington Square Park Hotel in New York CIty has a bright idea for winter boxes: dramatic branches. A mix of natural and white-painted branches from the craft store are displayed.
A winter planter doesn't need to be planted. Here a wire-frame window box is filled with a mix of cut evergreens, holly branches and decorative grapevine balls for a temporary display.
Small trees are a great way to make an interesting display in a window box, offering welcome privacy. Here these evergreens are surrounded by trailing ivy.
Don't want to leave your boxes bare, but can't be bothered with complicated displays? Follow the lead of this urban gardener and push a few evergreen branches into the dirt. They'll look "green" even after the pine needles have dried out.
More:
Charm Up Your House with Window Boxes
Window Boxes and Container Gardens
More:
Charm Up Your House with Window Boxes
Window Boxes and Container Gardens
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