Enhance the curb appeal of your home with window boxes filled with flowers and foliage plants as spring is in full swing. Choose annual plants for your window boxes as they offer beautiful color and are easy to swap out once they finish blooming. Here are the best spring annuals recommended for window boxes:
Pansies (viola x wittrockiana) are early bloomers and excellent accents for window boxes. They are frost-tolerant and stay compact, making them perfect for a spring display.
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is another frost-tolerant annual with sweetly scented flowers that range from white to violet, complementing taller spring annuals beautifully.
Dusty Miller (Senecio maritima) features striking silver-gray foliage that adds interest to any container display and can last all summer. It is drought-tolerant once established.
African Daisies (Osteospermum) add a whimsical touch to window boxes with their daisy-like flowers in various hues. They thrive in the cool weather of spring and come in different colors.
Dianthus (Dianthus spp.) is a mounding plant with clusters of colorful, fragrant flowers ideal for window boxes. While they can grow in any zone, they may struggle in hot summer weather.
Consider these spring annuals to create a vibrant and beautiful window box display.
Sun Requirements: Full sun; Soil Preference: Well-drained
Juncus (Juncus effusus) is typically grown as an annual in cooler climates during spring, despite being a perennial. According to Hancock, it is an excellent choice for adding texture to spring window boxes with its blue-green grassy-like leaves that blend seamlessly with various color schemes. The plant’s thin texture also contributes to an upright vertical appearance.
Zones: 5 to 9
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 12 inches wide
Care Needs: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum), known for their intricate spike flowers, are a classic spring annual. Hancock notes that each individual flower can resemble the face of a dragon with some imagination. Some varieties even have a sweet fragrance, making them appealing to both the eyes and the nose. Available in a wide range of colors, including reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, and white.
Zones: 7 to 10
Size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 6 to 12 inches wide
Care Needs: Full sun; well-drained soil
Violas (Viola spp.) are smaller than pansies but offer a similar appearance. These flowers are available in various colors like white, blue, purple, yellow, and pink. Bunting recommends them as a great addition to window boxes due to their tolerance for cool conditions.
Zones: 5 to 9
Size: 3 to 4 inches tall x 3 to 4 inches wide
Care Needs: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
Nemesia (Nemesia spp.) features two-lipped, often bicolor flowers in shades of white, yellow, red, orange, pink, or purple. This small annual plant is perfect for filling out window boxes, producing an abundance of flowers that can last for several months in cooler climates.
Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 4 to 6 inches tall x 4 to 6 inches wide
Care Needs: Full sun; well-drained soil
Twinspur (Diascia) produces small cup-like tubular flowers in soft pinks and oranges. This plant quickly establishes itself and fills any empty spaces in a window box.
Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 4 to 6 inches tall x 4 to 6 inches wide
Care Needs: Full sun; well-drained soil
(Source: Original article on Martha Stewart)
