You live in a beautiful neighbourhood with lots of well-kept, classy homes—and while your home matches the others with its stately appearance, you want it to stand out. You could replace your doors and siding with the latest styles and materials, but why not do something truly unique? After all, a garden window comes with far more decorative potential than most kinds of siding.
Garden windows create a miniature greenhouse just off the side of your home. You attach them wherever you’d attach other windows—your kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, etc.—and fill them with plants to bring a naturally beautiful accent to your home. Most have panels that open on the top and sides to let fresh air in, so you won’t have to sacrifice comfort for beauty and functionality.
Not sure what you’d use one of these windows for? Read on for tips and tricks on making the most of a garden window.
Preparing to Plant
Maybe you want an herb garden, but you don’t have room for a greenhouse in your backyard, or maybe you don’t want to clutter up your windowsills with pots and foliage. You avoid both problems with a garden window.
But how do you plant something in one of these windows without making it look tacky?
1. Choose the right pots.
What theme do you have in your home? Do you favour neutral colours and modern lines, or do you like bright or pastel colors with organic shapes? Find pots, vases, or boxes that fit the colour scheme and overall style of your home. Try buying pots in one of your accent colours, and stay away from the generic funnel-like shape wherever possible.
You shouldn’t settle for cheap, plastic pots either. Buy wood, stone, ceramic, or metal pots instead. Not only will these materials wear better, but they’ll look more striking as well.
2. Measure the height and width of your garden window.
Before you put plants in your window, you need to know the height and width of the window. You need these numbers so you know what plants to buy. You don’t want the foliage to press up against the glass and crowd out the light. You’ll also need to know the height and width so you know what size pots to buy.
Once you’ve measured, write down the numbers and take them with you when you go to your local home improvement store. Check the box or label of any plant you consider buying, and make sure that plant fits the space requirements of your garden window. Buy small shears so you can trim plants that grow slightly too big for the space.
3. Buy the right soil.
You need a soil that’ll look good on the inside of the house. This means you shouldn’t use the soil from your backyard. Find a darker soil at your local home improvement store. Darker soils look less lumpy and dirty, making them the perfect potting materials for indoor plants. You’ll also have an easier time cleaning the darker soil when it falls on the glass—it won’t blend into the view beyond.
Choosing the Right Plants
Once you know what pots and soil to buy, you can turn your attention to finding plants. You can’t grow gigantic ones, like rosebushes, but you probably should grow more than a tiny succulent. To truly make the most of your garden window, you’ll have to find plants right in the middle.
Flowers
Bring a splash of color to any space with a few flowers. When you shop for them, make sure you find varieties that’ll match your accent colours. Great flowers for a garden window include:
Geraniums
Lobelia
Petunias
Sweet peas
Snapdragons
Tropaeolum
These plants all need lots of sun, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t also plant flowers in shaded garden windows. Pansies, violets, and begonias love shade, and they come in many colours, so you can use them to accent any room.
Herbs
What better place to grow herbs than a garden window in your kitchen? You’ll have easy access to these fresh ingredients while you cook. Some herbs grow really well in kitchen windows:
Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Fennel
Lemongrass
Mint
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Choose herbs that you’d like to smell all the time. If you don’t like how fennel or any other herb smells, don’t plant it. Your kitchen will smell like the herbs you choose for a long time.
Vegetables
But why stop with herbs? Some vegetables grow very well in a garden window too:
Bell peppers
Carrots
Cucumbers
Jalapeno and habanero peppers
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Radishes
Scallions
Spinach
Tomatoes (all varieties)
Zucchini and other squashes
If you plant your vegetables indoors, you’ll have access to fresh food all year round, not just the summer months. Garden windows not only give plants enough sunlight, but they insulate them as well. All you have to do is water and fertilize them.
So if you’d like to add a touch of natural beauty to your already stylish home, install a few garden windows and fill them with beautiful plants. You’ll not only make your home more attractive, but you’ll make it stand out as well.