Window Box Gardening

Since we all love to get out and enjoy the beauty of Fall, your window boxes can be planted to reflect the colors of the Autumn season.   Use your imagination or examine all the colors that surround you during this time of year.  Start with a mix of mums, coleus, and varied leaf plants, or use a combination of varied leaf specimens instead of flowers and arrange them among green plants for an interesting fall look.   Find some branches or twigs with dried berries to add a different effect.  (Please don’t pick any gray berries on a vine like I did one beautiful November day.  Turns out it was poison ivy!) 

As fall turns into winter, press boughs of holly, pine, and ivy into your window boxes.  This look lasts throughout the winter and will enhance your home during the months when most may not consider planting.  An added feature for the holidays can include bright balls, pinecones, and a ribbon for color.   Branches or twigs with red berries and solar or LED Christmas lights would be a perfect touch.

Now that fall (and the fall weather) is officially underway, why not get decorating to add a little spirit and excitement to your home decor? Here are some festive outdoor-decorating ideas, from sheknows.com:

1. Silk wreaths: This could be a wreath of fall leaves or flowers, or one themed for Halloween.
2. Pumpkins: The quintessential fall decoration, and if left un-carved, they will last quite some time.
3. Gourds: Come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and add some variety to your pumpkin collection.
4. Mums: A perfect fall-time flower.
5. Scarecrow: Inexpensive and easy to find this time of year, a scarecrow will give your visitors the perfect seasonal greeting.
6. Candles: Can add both ambiance and a touch of creepiness to your decorating. Candles come in many fall colors, such as orange, yellow, cream, black and dark red.
7. Candy: Always a festive touch, especially in a holiday bowl at the door.
8. Cornucopia: A traditional autumn decoration. You can be creative and fill it with anything from flowers to gourds to artificial fruit.

Ever wonder why offices have so many houseplants in them? It’s not just to make the environment friendlier – indoor plants actually have physical and psychological benefits. Not only do they clean the air (a NASA study showed that houseplants were able to remove 87 percent of air toxins in 24 hours), but they have been shown to help with headaches, stress, heart and circulation problems, and even colds.

Wall planters are some of the most attractive ways to display your collection of houseplants. They can be put up over couches, or used to frame windows like wall sconces. Wall planters are also safe from children and pets that might knock them over, and free up any counter space that you might be lacking.