Window Dressing

By JULIE BAWDEN DAVIS

April 8, 2000 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Want to make a big difference in the landscape with just a little work? Install a window box.

Window boxes are a quick, easy way to make an artistic statement. And they do a great job of framing windows and softening the appearance of walls.

Take an afternoon to plant a window box and you’ll have the satisfaction of accenting your home with immediate color, says Ron Vanderhoff, nursery manager of Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

“Planting a window box is one of the fastest things you can do to spruce up your home.”

Window boxes also put plants at eye level, where you can enjoy them from the indoors. Use plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds and you’ll have an even more interesting view.

People with no outdoor space have a chance to garden with window boxes, adds Mark Christenson of Windowbox.com, a Santa Monica-based Internet company that offers window boxes and other products. “Window boxes give people the joy of creating a garden outside of their window.”

Window boxes come in a variety of sizes, styles and colors. Generally, they are made of wood, plastic or fiberglass. Wood boxes can be redwood, or a neutral color that can be painted to match or coordinate with your home’s exterior.

Plastic boxes come in a variety of colors; fiberglass generally comes in white. Not as common are terra-cotta window boxes and metal hangers that can be lined and filled with plants.

Window boxes can be formal to informal and range in size from 2 to 6 feet long and 6 inches to 2 feet deep. Boxes that are 8 to 12 inches deep are the most common.

When choosing the plants, keep the following tips in mind:

* Use plants that need similar light and water requirements. Ask a nursery professional or check plant tags to see if the plants you’ve chosen are compatible.

* Include foliage plants. Foliage adds interest by introducing various textures. It also breaks up colors and softens the look of the window box.

Some good foliage plants to include are coleus, variegated or green small-leafed ivy, variegated ground ivy (glechoma variegata), Swedish ivy (Plectranthus), sweet potato vine and licorice plant (helichrysum petiolare).

* Mix tumbling plants with upright growers for added visual interest. Lobelia, which cascade, looks good next to impatiens because they tend to stand taller. Alyssum look nice hanging in front of cosmos, which stand tall.

* Be generous. Buy ample plants and place them closer together than the instructions suggest. This will give you a full, lush look.

* Consider the color scheme. With a window box, you’re creating a scene, which means you should pay attention to color coordinating the plants with surrounding objects such as your house. Also remember you’ll be putting the plants into a confined space, which means the flower colors should blend well.

“Generally, it’s best to use either cool or warm colors,” Vanderhoff says. “Cool pastels include soft blues, pink, white and lavender, and warm colors are red, orange and yellow.”

Preparation

Planting a window box can generally be done in an hour or so and is not very complicated. Keep the following tips in mind:

* Choose potting soil wisely. Use a high-quality mixture that retains moisture. Because window boxes tend to dry out quickly, buy a soil with polymers or purchase them separately such as Broadleaf P4, and add them to your potting mix. These gel-like crystals absorb hundreds of times their weight in water and provide plants with water if the potting soil dries out. These should be wetted before being added.

* Planting. Fill the container halfway with soil, add a time-released fertilizer according to package directions and finish filling the window box to three-quarters full. Insert the plants and add soil until the roots are well covered. Pack down the soil with your hands and water thoroughly.

* Replant regularly. Because of limited root space, some plants will outgrow the window box. When a plant gets too large, remove it and replenish with a smaller plant.

* Mounting considerations. Make certain the area of the house you are securing the box to is strong enough to hold the weight; once planted, window boxes can be extremely heavy. A 4-footer can weigh 50 to 75 pounds once full.

Make sure to install the box at least a half-inch from the house, which will prevent damaging moisture and debris build-up between the box and the house. Consider drainage. Ensure that the box does not drain onto the house because dripping will cause stains.

* Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, (949) 640-5800.

* https://www.windowbox.com offers a “floracle” test, which gives you a list of plants that do well in certain box locations.

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Thinking Outside the Box

Many plants thrive in a window-box environment. Herbs such as thyme, trailing rosemary, mint, chamomile and parsley do well in containers, as well as edible plants such as lettuce, arugula, raddichio, radish and strawberry.

Other flowering plants include:

* Alyssum

* Bacopa

* Begonia

* Brachycome

* Dahlia

* Dianthus

* Erodium

* False heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia)

* Fuchsia

* Geranium incanum

* Heliotrope