Garden

Window Box Gardens on Beacon Hill

I’ve said before that I love how city gardeners provide beauty for us all with their curbside plantings and window box gardens. Unlike suburban gardens, which are often out of sight, city gardens can feel like they are made for the pleasure of passers by. This is particularly true in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Some of the brick homes in the neighborhood may have courtyard or rooftop gardens, but many residents are limited to gardening with front step planters, window boxes, and door wreaths.

Lucky pedestrians! Because of Beacon Hill’s intimate scale, most window boxes are situated at shoulder height, which means you can inspect them close up. The detail and plant variety is inspiring. I expect residents are used to seeing people enjoying their handiwork up close!

Make a big impact by planting a single variety, and we saw lots of hydrangea used in this way.

Other favorites used two varieties to make a statement.

I consider window boxes to be landscapes in miniature. With that in mind, I apply the same design principles that I would use in a full-scale landscape.

Decide on a theme, color, or a favorite plant combination. Then plan a focal point, like a center plant that is larger or taller. On either side, place plants that will be shorter than the center focal plant. Last, fill in with plants at each end that trail.

These aren’t hard and fast rules, of course. Sometimes trailing plants can be used in the center of the box as well as at each end. The important thing is to balance the plantings so they are pleasing to the eye.

This year I got inspired by these Spanish lavender standards that I found at Home Depot. I snagged the last four (sorry folks), and since lavender is an herb, I decided to go with an herb theme. Because there is a lot going on visually in my yard, I tend to keep the window boxes simple, so they don’t compete.

With that in mind, I planted the standards in the middle of the boxes, and on either side tapered down with a limey green thyme, which will mound and soften the edge. I found a creamy green verbena, Limelight, which goes well with the variegated sage.