Curb Appeal and Window Box Planters

Back in my twenties, I rented a small quaint house in San Francisco, just a short distance to the beach. The house was plain and simple with a small front yard. There was only a beautiful rose colored daisy like perennial and a wealth of cineraria growing there. There was a porch, two windows facing the street and two rundown windowbox planters. There was nothing inside them, not even some dirt, which surprised me. I found the house charismatic. Having never enjoyed the pleasure of a garden, as I had just moved for a third story Victorian apartment, I was very pleased with the possibilities of the diamond in the rough. All it really needed is time, effort and lots of love in order to come alive.

My first improvement was filling up those window box planters. Even though, my budget matched the appearance of the house, I did want the best results for my money. Naturally, I began with the window boxes, by adding some potting soil and a few flowers. Now I was in business.

Since it was winter when I relocated, I immediately thought of tulips and daffodils. These are easily planted and offer a generous color of spring within a few short months. Easily, I visualized this magnificent burst of color surrounding my front door. After setting my bulbs, I set my mind to planning out the summer flowers for my window box planters. Keep in mind that the San Francisco beach area has a microclimate and is somewhat restrictive. There is fog and then there is fog and then there is even more fog. This foggy climate was made even more dense by the gray of the wooden walls, the roof and even the dull gray of the window box planters. Can we say, no imagination at all?

I chose a red paint, leaning towards magenta to paint the trim, front door and the window boxes. Yes! It looked better already. This made the cineraria stand out nicely and livened up the exterior of the house significantly.

I was pleased when the daffodils and tulips began to spring up and bloom. By this time I already knew what I would be planting for the summer and fall, which complimented the color of my windowbox planter. Then very carefully, I inter-planted purple and magenta fuchsias and begonias between each bulb, while throwing in some trailing azure lobelias, just for the heck of it. These new residents were well on their way, since they were thriving in their moist and overcast environment, by the time the bulbs died back in the summer. I decided to add a variegated coleus to bringing more color play. My visitors complimented me on this breathtaking color display.

Red, pink and white cyclamens replaced the summer residents as fall turned into winter. Eventually, the begonias came in to wait out the winter in pots. In the meantime, ferns and spider plants began growing along the underside of the porch’s roof, hanging about like ballroom belles. You would be surprised what a couple of four foot window box planters can do for your home.