Winter Window Boxes

[rubyslippers]

Hello everyone, my window-boxes filled with annuals finally gave in to a hard freeze about two weeks ago. Thanks to my Cottage friends, I have learned to grow climbing roses, shade gardens, forced bulbs, and beautiful windowboxes ... but, it dawned on me that Deb ... our true gardening expert hasn't been around here in a long time? I need to track her down. If anyone PM's her and/or keeps up with her through Etsy, please let me know. I miss her a great deal because she always helps me with these things.

Anyway, I have a lot of new cottage buddies in this forum, so I am hoping someone can talk to me about pansies. A lot of businesses around here use pansies in commercial plantings through the winter. I also noticed that if I hunt, there are some good sales on pansies at area garden centers. It is a little late in the season, but I might give them a try. Does anyone have any advice? For architectural purposes, I also feel like I need some sort of cascading feature to dangle off the edge of the platners ... can anyone think of a relatively winter-hardy option that might be available?

I know pansies tend to get rather dormant in deep freezes ... but they stay alive up to negative ten degrees I think ... then, if they make it through the winter, I think they should take me almost back to spring planting again. I am now so used to my beautiful windowboxes, that I am not prepared with Christmas window adornments. I hate to spend a lot of disposable wreath money right now. (We are trying to keep Christmas reasonable this year and we are slowly adding house decorations.) I put pretty gold bows on my gas lamps in the yard and I hung a Saturday Evening Post Santa Yard-Flag. I was thinking some pretty pansies in the windowboxes with some gold bows and a single evergreen wreath on the door might be just enough.

I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Rubyslippers

[yarborough house]

Pansies will do fine. They might sleep a bit if it gets really cold but they will bounce back. As for creeping stuff...hmmm can't think of any that can take the real bad cold. You might just cut some evergreen pieces and drape them in there. Also, don't forget you can spraypaint or leave them as is - pinecones to put in the winter boxes too. Also to give some height you can pick some limbs from a holly with the red berries and put it in there.

I can't wait to see what you do..
tammy

[rubyslippers]

I found some winter lettuce or cabbage or some such at a local nursery this afternoon. The textures of green were really lovely. I couldn't find any pansies that were this side of alive. I would be planting frozen gunk so-to-speak. I like some of the inspiration here. I may have to hit a craft store. I'll keep you posted. Please keep sending the ideas my way. My windowboxes are so very sad after their glorious summer.

[Heather]

I'm not aware of anything trailing through the winter unless it's a small ivy but well, you know how those could go... I took my window boxes down this winter as I couldn't think of anything to plant in there. The winter cabbages and lettuce sound good though - did you plant them?

[CohenCottage]

I've seen window boxes with rosemary that is shaped like little christmas trees, and it looked pretty cute. It was a while ago in CL, I think. Also have seen stacks of snowballs with lights in MS Living for those of you lucky enough to have cold and snow all winter!

[annielinz]

I had these saved in my files.

[rubyslippers]

I like the little hidden bird house. I wonder what all of that stuff is ... Hmmm.

Thanks for sharing! Again, please keep the ideas coming.

[rubyslippers]

Actually, I found a very affordable interim "holiday" solution for the window boxes. When I purchased my Christmas tree, the store had a very large bin of trimmings from the bottom of other people's trees. Growing up, my family usually cut off a couple of limbs in an attempt to make our tree fit the stand. Then, we arranged the extra limbs around the house on top of the mantle, the bookcase, or the grandfather clock. I did this with my house last year; however, I ended up cleaning up needles until July. With that said, it always smells SO wonderful I planned on doing that again this year.

Anyway, inspiration struck me when I saw the big FREE bin of tree trimmings. I put all of the greenery in my window boxes. Then, I put some little gold bows in the middle of each window box. Since I usually put gold bows on the gas lamps in the front yard, it ended up looking quite nice.

Last summer was my first window-box "trial" run with the lighting at this house. I definitely need shade plants, but thanks to Cheap Diva, I ended up with some gorgeous windows boxes paired with plans for the future! My house has some uniquely sized windows. Deep down, I would love "real" shutters, but they are rather extravagant on my little house. With that said, I have been eye-balling the real wrought iron Parisian style window-boxes. You can get them with an insert for summer "perennial" plantings. Then, in the fall, you are encouraged to lift those inserts out and replace them with small terra-cotta pots. First, you can always do "mums". Then, a lot of people in England grow little evergreen shrubs. Once purchased, a lot of this stuff could be cared for year-round and traded-out.

However, I like to leave room for a little whimsy. Also, my pretty "fake" wreath with berries and pinecones on my front door looks VERY real right now because my windowboxes have all of the real greenery. I just thought I would update everyone since you all helped me search.

[ChapterTwo]

Jenny, those are "Ornamental Cabbage/Kale". Here are some photos...

Every year since I've started to see them in Fall, I've wanted them, but I'm cheap and at $4.99 each, that seemed too much to spend on such a temporary (but cool looking!) annual.

This year when I was at Lowe's in October, they had them for $1.49, so I took the plunge and bought three. They were really lovely, but it still seemed like sort of a waste. Then again, I don't think that about pumpkins or mum plants, so I think I'm being silly!

[rubyslippers]

Cool pictures Chapter Two ... those plants are MUCH more mature than the "sprouts" I found in the garden center. I think pansies could be a smart winter alternative for me; however, I didn't buy them in time because my summer annuals were really beautiful through the last week of November / first week of December. I need to thoughtfully garden and trade out before the flowers die, but I just held on too long.

I think the kale could look very cool as part of a mixed planting (as pictured) to accent and transition out as you would in any garden. I think we all crave certain annuals at certain times of year. Maybe if I actually "harvested" the lettuce it would feel more sustainable; or, the deer will just walk up and eat the buffet out of my window boxes. That would be a riot!

Too funny ... :)

[ChapterTwo]

Hi - I'll never forget seeing winter pansies in my area one time, in the snow. (I have never seen them since!) I do think the winter kale is a nice transition from the orangey/gold colors of Fall, into the red/green of the holiday season.

Oh, gosh...I'm not sure where you live but you have deer? :)

I guess the kale might seem like a nice treat to them. HaHa!

[rubyslippers]

I always used to click around on websites like dutchgardens and wonder why on earth they would label things as "deer-resistant". Well, after the deer consumed all of my tomatoes last year, I now understand! On Christmas Day, I was standing at my kitchen window waiting on a fresh batch of coffee. As I listened to the brewing "gurgle" I watched a family of six deer trot down my residential street hanging a right at the neighbor's fence. I guess they finished hauling Santa's sleigh and were out foraging. They are white-tail deer and actually very pretty. My yard is in need of some landscaping simplification. In order to off set the ivy, the previous owner had a landscaper come out a couple of times a year trading out ornamentals and it is now just raggedy and over-the-top. We are working to simplify the maintenance a great deal. Until the base (grass, mulch, beds, de-ivy-ification) is under control, I can't really plant a lot of flowers. This is part of why the window boxes mean a great deal to me. I enjoy the deer in theory, but I missed having tomatoes this year. My backyard is fully fenced; so, I don't have any problems in that area. (Just not enough sunlight for some things.)

[ChapterTwo]

I I guess they finished hauling Santa's sleigh and were out foraging.

They must have been a gorgeous sight! I can't imagine how people can hunt them...but that's a whole 'nother topic. :rolleyes:

After what you wrote, I can sure understand why you're focused on the window boxes. The rest of your yard will come together...all in good time!

[chyna]

the winter/fall question gets me too and I don't even have windowboxes yet. :o Glad you figured something out, I like the rosemary idea. You can use them for grilling,etc in the summer and in the winter decorate like little trees. they would die in moments here but I always dream of them. :)

[Lisa S]

Is there any beauty in a window box filled with dead mums? Yeah... I know.

[ChapterTwo]

Hey, chyna...Hi There! Where've you been hiding? Happy New Year, and it's great to see you here!

[rubyslippers]

Okay, Lisa, I just cracked-up at your inquiry regarding your dead mums - - I think they must be just fine. Winter window boxes actually present quite a conundrum don't they? I do not have shutters, so the window boxes have become quite a focal point for my home. I am looking at investing in more expensive window boxes above and beyond the English hay rack style I have at this time. However, I think it is important to acknowledge that things like that take more care and attention than we always realize. It is cold and snowy here today in the south. I want to be able to garden!

Bye,

Jenny

[shabbychick]

I used to walk by this house that had the same lovely tulips in bloom day after day. They never faded. And finally I realized they were silk! If you really can't stand an empty window box, maybe you could put some fake crocus or something in it. Personally, I am not above improving on nature. :)

[ChapterTwo]

I used to walk by this house that had the same lovely tulips in bloom day after day. They never faded. And finally I realized they were silk!

How funny is that? Maybe that's a good idea in the peak of the season too, if our windowboxes don't seem full enough...add a little silk!

[chyna]

One of my friends in Canada is a self-professer brown thumb but wanted something besides the groundcover her boyfriend finds great. :rolleyes: so one day she was at ????Tiger and picked up these flat type-ish tulips for her yard. And she actually makes fun of me for spending so much time on my real ones. :D

Hi Chapter 2, did you have a nice New Years? Hey the note you wrote me way back when has finally sun faded to next to nothing. Guess I'll have to retire the ME note paper. ;) Oh and I found the tea towel you sent me the other day. Forgot all about it, it will be adorable in my kitchen now! The canning jar is still in the porch, light catcher. :)

[ChapterTwo]

chyna...so funny about your friend with the fake tulips!
At one yard in the town where I used to live, as soon as it gets to be Spring, the people take whole bushy stems of silk flowers and stick them in the ground, all around the front of the house and down the walkway...looks ridiculous!

Hey the note you wrote me way back when has finally sun faded to next to nothing. Guess I'll have to retire the ME note paper.Gee, they don't make notepaper to last, do they? HaHaHa! That's so funny that you still had that...it must have been from the year before last (or longer!)

It's always fun when we discover stuff (like the tea towel) which we have tucked away. Oh, boy...I have boxes and boxes of stuff to go through, from the move! One day at a time...:o

Tnx, chyna - the holidays were fine; hope yours were too!

[yarborough house]

Okay here is a funny one. My sister works at Micheals and one day an older man- he was a colonel in the army came in and bought about $400 of fake flowers. They were a bit surprised at the amount and that a man was spending it but said nothing. Then the next weekend he came in and bought about $300 more so she asked him what he was doing with them all. He said that he was tired of buying plants to have them die in his pots and window boxes so he figured he'd buy the best looking fake ones. He says from the street where people see them you can not tell the differernce and up close he says he doesn't have to water them so it is all good. He came in the second time to get duplicates incase some faded or broke..what a hoot.
But then again he is right - from the street who can tell and up close is just you and friends. I do have friends that plant greens and then put fake flowers among them to add color.

[ChapterTwo]

an older man- he was a colonel in the army came in and bought about $400 of fake flowers. Then the next weekend he came in and bought about $300 more so she asked him what he was doing with them all. He said that he was tired of buying plants to have them die in his pots and window boxes so he figured he'd buy the best looking fake ones.


Oh, Tammy...that is too funny! Let's hope he used Michael's coupons...;)

[vintage girl]

Okay I have a confession to make. I am definately not a gardener. Let me repeat that, I am not a gardener. I have several decoratives pots and some old buckets throughout my yard that have fake flowers in them:eek: Hubs is the gardener and he takes care of our extensive yard and beautiful rose garden, but said the pots were my responsibility. I attended a 10 step program for my problem, but I would rather keep using fake flowers than garden. They say the first step to recovery is acknowledging your problem. I acknowledge my fake flower problem, but I am not going to stop. I am not going to garden. I am going to continue to feed my fake flower addiction. I just bought some pretty new ones at Michael's on Sunday. Unfortunately I did not have a coupon. But I did not care. I cannot stop:D

[ChapterTwo]

Not to worry, vintage girl...you can hold your head high.
You care for animals, which counts for a whole lot! :)
And besides that, I bet your faux flowers look fine!

(Hey, I'm no Master Gardener, either!)

[rubyslippers]

I do not love fake flowers. My foyer area has a vintage red desk with a large vase on top of it - - this is filled with all kinds of little marbles and the fake flowers that look like weeds so-to-speak. I am all about things like cherry blossom branches and yellow mustard, but I just don't love fake flowers. Then again, I also love to garden. I'm relatively self-taught and have killed a few things, but I'm improving (thanks to a lot of my friends in cottage-land). So, as it warms up, we can definitely talk about things you might want to plant in some of those lovely containers, but then again, some of those Michael's flowers look pretty nice ... I might have to steal these ideas for a shady area.

Cheers ... Here's to waiting and watching for the warmth of spring!

[chyna]

I love the image of 100's dollars worth of silk flowers in a yard. :p Somedays i think it would be infinitely easier to just have silk flowers than real plants.

[ChapterTwo]

I love to garden too, but I really don't mind silk flowers - the ones they make nowadays are such an improvement, and they have their place, I think.

I remember my mother buying PLASTIC ones, in the Sixties. Now, THOSE were an abomination! :D