Can I ask you to talk to me about window boxes?

[DealForTheKids]

Hello everyone...

Let me start by saying I'm a complete gardening novice. Completely. The last plant I was responsible for was a house plant my mum gave me when I started uni 10 years ago, saying that if I could keep the plant alive she wouldn't worry about me looking after myself (needless to say, the plant died. I, thankfully, am still alive ).

Anyway, DP and I have moved into a lovely new flat, which, like all the others I've lived in before, doesn't have a garden. What it does have is four gorgeous big sash windows in the living room and window boxes along the whole length of the house. The living room is south-west facing so gets lots of light.

I'd really like to do something with the boxes but I'm at a total loss of what to do. Should I wait now until spring before putting things in? What sort of things do you plant in window boxes? I think it would be something that's good for me to do, and also it's a gorgeous road and I want the neighbours to like us .

Any tips/advice very gratefully received!

I'm a rubbish gardener but I do manage to keep winter pansies alive in pots and hanging baskets. They look pretty and last for ages.

What have your neighbours got in theirs?

They look pretty, that's as much as I can tell you . Like I say, my knowledge of plants/gardening = practically non-existent...

Thanks for the winter pansies tip, I'll look into them!

I'd go for herbs, things like rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, bay, etc.

Look pretty and generally don't need much water, so won't curl up and die or look crap if you forget to water them sometimes. You can also use them for cooking.

You can chuck in some throwaway plants like winter pansies and so on for colour in between, and if they die you just rip them out.

Herbs! Of course. I'm more of a cool than a gardener so at least I'd know what to do with them when they're grown thanks!

Don't need to wait until they are grown! Rosemary, sage, thyme and bay all benefit from regular snipping off of bits, helps to stop them get too leggy.

You can just buy pots from the supermarket and plant them if a garden centre is too much like alien territory.

you could plant snowdrops and daffodil bulbs beneath the pansies then they will come up in the spring

Ivy and yellow primroses alternately with a few big lilac/blue Pansies in the centre will look chic and last really well.