Window boxes can add a lot of curb appeal to your home’s exterior. Regardless of the varieties of flowers and plants you use, you are sure to add a lot of life and color. Window boxes can be used under practically any window of your home. However, for the ultimate in versatility and convenience, portable ones are hard to beat.

Quick and Easy Portable Window Boxes

If you want to put up plenty of beautiful window boxes in a hurry without spending a lot of money, you can accomplish the job with simple metal shelf brackets and inexpensive box planters. The containers you choose should be durable and yet lightweight. Choose a design and color that will blend well with your home’s exterior color and style. Select a window box that is similar in width to the window where you plan to install it. Once you’ve chosen your boxes, purchase two metal shelf brackets that you will use to attach the boxes to the side of the house. If your box is heavy, using three brackets would be a good idea. Keep in mind that these brackets will have to support the weight of the box, plus the weight of the plants and the soil, even when wet. Select brackets that are a couple of inches longer than the depth of the boxes.

Measure the depth of the box then transfer this measurement to the lower edge of the shelf bracket. Make sure you leave enough room for the window box to fit snugly. Bend the ends of the lower portion of the bracket upwards to form a lip that will keep your window box in place. Then, attach the brackets with screws to the side of the house under the window and check to make sure the box fits properly. You’ll be able to remove these portable window boxes from the house and even re-arrange them after they are planted, without the need to unscrew them.

Planting Your Window Boxes

There’s no limit to the kinds of plants and flowers you can grow in a window box. Fill the boxes with a lightweight potting soil mixture. Especially if the boxes are going to be installed in a sunny location, choose a soil mixture that contains pellets that help to hold water. Once the soil has been added you can plant flowers, vines, foliage plants, and even herbs in the boxes. A box with fragrant herbs can be especially nice outside a kitchen window. The scent of fragrant flowers and plants is one advantage of using window boxes, since they can serve as a natural air freshener inside your home when the windows are open. Keep in mind that you aren’t just limited to using the boxes during the summer. Because they are portable, you can even use them in the spring and fall, since you can bring the plants indoors on nights when frost or cold weather is expected. Hardy plants that love cooler weather such as pansies, ornamental kale, and holly fern will even grow in these boxes right up until the really cold winter weather arrives, providing your home with plenty of color for a longer period of time.

Author Bio: Angela Glancy with AmericanArtisanArt.com has developed an interest in expanding the use of metal wall art sculptures as well as tree metal wall art.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: portable window boxes,beautiful window boxes,soil mixture,kitchen window,foliage plants