If you are currently living in a tiny urban apartment and want to transform it into a cozy charming place for both you and your flatmates or family, you'd better consider upgrading it with some window boxes. No matter whether you plan on planting veggies, fruit, flowers, or herbs, to spruce up your home's exterior, you should carefully choose the type and style of the window box you need. In order to help you deal with any doubts regarding this matter, we have prepared a few simple tips that you can follow when installing window boxes. Read on, if you are interested to discover some urban gardening secrets!

  1. Don't be afraid to get creative with color. Any planter, flower box, and container will look much better if it is not painted in the classic brown or beige. White has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. That's probably due to the Mediterranean feel that white objects add to a home. If you are a fan of the sea, and want to experience the dreamy feel of summer through your home decoration accents all year long, then you should definitely get a standard wooden window flower box and paint it white. It is easy, simple, and most of all trendy. What more can you wish for when searching for window box ideas? Of course, if you are a fan of colors and like to experiment with them, no one should stop you. The most modern bright colors this year are yellow, salmon, vivid coral, and dark orange. Get a box for your plants in these nuances and you will definitely do no wrong.
  2. Dark metal boxes with ornaments from iron. Although these type of window boxes may seem too cold and formal to you at first, once you install them under your windows, you will be pleasantly surprised by their looks. All metal home accessories are very trendy this year, as they are adding an industrial feel to urban apartments. And as you know, industrial and rustic home decorations are a must for every modern home in the city.
  3. An upscale customized wooden window box. Although there are plenty of PVC wood imitating window boxes which are much more durable and easy to maintain than the wooden ones, natural wood remains one of the materials which is most sought after when it comes to window decoration ornaments and flower boxes. Although wood rots much faster than other materials the curb appeal that it adds to your home is worth the investment. If you do not plan on repainting them on an annual basis, however, you'd better not get any of these in the first place. They are really high-maintenance.
  4. Window boxes made from recycled materials. Old buckets, chests, or any pieces of furniture that you do not need can be easily transformed into a nice box for your balcony flowers. By recycling, you not only stick to the latest vintage interior design trends but also support a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. This can set a good example for your children.
  5. Hanging flower baskets. There is a wide variety of hanging flower baskets on the British market but, we recommend you to get a colander or a big basket, knitted from thick packthread. Even if you do not have any space for flowers in front of your windows, you may still hang a small basket and upgrade the view from your window.
  6. Vintage style brick or stone covered concrete flower boxes. There are some buildings which are constructed with such boxes under the windows from the very beginning. They are very solid and can withstand the elements which makes them one of the best options for homeowners who want to beautify the exterior of their residential building. Unfortunately, you may not see such buildings very often anymore.
  7. A flower box with flowers in color which matches the window shutters. Although there are not many homes which still have window shutters, there are some. If yours is one of them, then you do not really have to worry about the box itself but rather about the flowers that you intend to plant in it. You'd better match the color of their blossoms with the color of the shutters. This is a unique and beautiful combination that will surely make your home stand out from the others, especially if you decide to invest in the bright diverse flower and box colors.

But before you start designing or buying all this, re-ember that the flower box you choose will not be as special as you want unless you choose the right type of flowers to plant in it. Here is what you may do in order to make sure that your “domestic flower garden” looks like a real masterpiece:

The most important thing that you need to take care of, when you go to your local gardening centre in order to choose some nice and easy-to-grow flowers, is to select your main color pallet. You will have to choose a nice tall flower in a bright color that you can use as a centerpiece, and a few other shorter flowers in a similar tone but not exactly the same in order to be able to create a contrast. It is a smart idea to also plant a few flowers that will match the facade of the building. This way your flower box or boxes will look as a part of the building instead of just being some inadequate accent added to it. You should always make sure that there is symmetry in your work. If you have some space left near the edges, you may always add some nice seasonal accents. For example, in the beginning of the autumn you can add small decorative pumpkins to the composition. It will both create a better contrast and will give the final touch up to make your decorated flower box unique.

Keep in mind that you are not only creating a “garden” that will look nice to your neighbours on the outside, but a work of art that should also look good on the inside. After all, you will mostly enjoy it from the inside of your home. Make sure that the flower blossoms look great when you look at them through your windows as well! If they don't, then do some extra changes to improve their appearance. You need more tips on how to do that? Then, visit our page on a regular basis to get more free advice!



Source by Rosie Hartley