Shady Window Boxes

[rubyslippers]

I am monitoring the front of my new home; the existing windowboxes are English hayrack type things. They are "okay" even though they need new liners. However, they don't exactly fit the windows. This sounds nit-picky, but I believe that simply changing the window boxes and adding some shutters might really give my little house a face-lift. With that said, it appears the front of my home remains rather shady. (An English cottage garden may be "do-able" along the pathways in the yard, and roses could probably go all the way out by the street, but a foundation garden is going to take some shade-loving creativity.) This year, as I am working on the backyard, I am contemplating just experimenting with the existing windowboxes. If I can make something interesting live and bloom, then I can get the windowboxes I want on sale at the end of the season replacing them for next year if that makes sense. Annuals like impatiens are not so expensive that I couldn't have mounds of them.

Does anyone have any good shady container recipes?

I thought some illuminating vinca dangling down the sides, some mounded impatiens, and maybe some pink/purple salvia for height? What do you guys think?

Thanks again,

Jenny

[annielinz]

Ruby, how about some of that ivy you have so much of??? Just kidding :D

Impatiens would look great. Personally I've never had great luck with them, but again I do have somewhat of a brown thumb.I love window boxes but they dry out so quickly and unless you have a drip system on them they can go from beautiful to dead in record time...again could just be ol' brown thumb here.

[rubyslippers]

Ivy ... Ivy ... Yikes!

Truthfully, in moderation the stuff is pretty. It is actually quite beautiful; however, it IS NOT delicate AT ALL!

Hee-hee. It would probably be beautiful in those crazy windowboxes. As for watering, well, I agree with you completely. I would like to ultimately replace the English Hayrack-esque windowboxes with ones with some form of internal irrigation; however, it seems like a big expense until I know what the light will do and if anything will grow.

I think I am craving a "Cottage" Garden made out of perrenials and shade plants. It may just take time, patience, and practice. I get restless with my yard at this time of year. Even when I didn't have a yard, the outdoor planning just consumes me. I get spring fever like crazy. I have been known to plant things at midnight.

Seriously, more people should try gardening by the moon. It sounds crazy, but it is incredibly peaceful.

I'm open to ALL suggestions.

Bye,

Jenny

[Gigi]

Hey there is something to be said about gardening by the moonlight~ When I garden (okay I water)---it's after the beeszzzzzzzzz have called it for the day and gone home...really. :o

[cheapdiva]

Jenny -
Our courtyard has a lot of shady areas just because it is so enclosed by the building behind us. In the buckets and baskets we plant - with success - potato vines, asparagus ferns, impatiens, even geraniums. Go get a few shade gardening books from the library - specific to container gardening. I'll go through my books when I get home - I'm drawing a blank on what else we have used.

[shabbychick]

I'm really interested in this discussion because the small courtyard behind my condo is mostly in the shade. It gets a bit of sun in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon, but most of the year it gets little to no sunlight. I'd like to plant something that looks good in the spring when it's still pretty dark and shady back there. Hostas have grown well for me and, I think, huechera (is that how you spell it?) but not a lot else. I supplement with statues. :)

[Suz]

My window box is north facing and receives no direct sunlight. I have had success with ivy, impatiens and coleus. I have pink geraniums in there now, but I m going to switch them out b/c the geraniums need a little more sun than what they are getting now. I am going to order some Begonia tuber from Brecks.com since I was perusing their mag and saw some beautiful begonias that would look fantastic in my window box. It says they are meant for full to part shade. I have purchased bulbs from them before and been pretty happy with my plants from then...especially the Dahlias...but anyway, back to shady window boxes ;)
Like someone mentioned before the boxes dry up quickly so you have to stay on top of keeping them watered properly.

God luck and let us know how it goes! :)

[rubyslippers]

Well, a couple of years ago, I met all of my CL buddies just because there was an article about growing a moon flower screen in a container. I have yet to do that by the way; however, if I can find a good spot, I think I will this year just as a type of homage. Anyway, when we moved away, my Joseph's Coats moved to my parents house in this HUGE container. (Along with a lot of other beautiful plants). While my parents have been great babysitters of my garden, I believe it is going to start moving slowly toward my house - - YIPPEE! Anyway, the point of all of this (for those of you who can't reminisce with me) is the fact that I got really creative with my shady patio and tried to grow a bunch of stuff that just did NOT work at all. I am now a firm believer that appropriate shade plants belong in shade. Maria, you gave me some ideas I hadn't really thought about - - plus, I'm a step ahead of you on the books - - plus, coleus is nice ... that is the variegated pink/green stuff (or at least some of it is) isn't it? Anyway, one of the reasons I'm focusing on the windowboxes, or the pathways, or bringing over the roses involves the fact that the ivy has just been so overwhelming that I now understand it will be fall before grass can even be considered. Plus, I'm going to have a lot of chemicals in the backyard for awhile (sorry my organic buddies), so I would like to get through that phase before nuking any new little flowers. Thanks for the ideas!

[cheapdiva]

Jen -
I have a GREAT window box book at home, I'll send you the name tonight when I get home. Also - coleus is so pretty, especially the pink/green kind.

[Deb D]

I used to have the self-watering windowboxes from Gardeners' Supply. They still dried out pretty badly, but we were in a hot climate. I made wooden brackets and shelves to sit them on.

I have a book called Container Gardening for Washington and Oregon published by Lone Pine Press. Maybe you can find something similar for your area, and probably a lot of the same plants would work.

For partial shade, here are some ideas: bacopa (trailing), begonia (I have one called 'Escargot' that I just love), black-eyed susan vine, bugle weed (Ajuga), trifolium clover, coleus, foamflower (Tiarella), golden hakone grass, hardy geranium, impatiens, lady's mantle (Alchemillia), lamium, ferns, annual lobelia, lotus vine, perilla, plectranthus, tradescantia, vinca.

Sorry if that's too much information. I just went through the book.

[yarborough house]

Bacopa works great. I love gardening and am lucky to have both areas. My front yard is all sun all day, my back yard is covered by all the neighbors trees so it is shady all day. I get to try out both areas.
I am much better at sun areas but am working on the back this year.

I did bacopa in a pot out back last year and it was wonderful. I also did sweet potato vine in both areas worked great. It comes in a nice lime green and a darker purple/black color. It does drape well. I did geraniums in both areas and impatients did wonderful out back.

For window boxes - yes they dry out but there are many tricks to make them easier to deal with. First of all inside your hayrack you have a cocoa liner I presume..before you add soil - put in a white trash bad with a few holes poked in it..that way the water won't run out of the liner so fast and the cocoa will not suck it out of the soil.
There are also crystals that you can add to the soil..only takes about 1-2 tsps per box. They absorb water and hold it in the soil until the plant needs it. It is kinda pricey so we did a cheaper version one year. I cut up sponges and put them in the soil..that way the sponges soaked up the water and the plants used it when they needed. All cheap ways to help out.

I wish you luck and I am sure it will look amazing. I was out gardening all day today - I am sooo tired. Of course it is pollen hell time here.
A lovely layer of yellow pollen everywhere..
I am sneezing like crazy..eeek...