Gardener's Best Secrets for Creating Christmas Window Boxes

Decking the Window Boxes for Christmas

The weather around here has been crazy! One day is sunny and 60 (highly unusual for us) and the next everything is covered in snow…

On the day I headed to my parents’ house to nab greens for our window boxes, Pops was pretty sure we were racing to beat a snow storm…

When I left our house, my sweet pea was happy and bright growing on the vine…

As is usually the case when it comes to questions about the great outdoors, Pops was right!

This was their front yard a few hours after we rounded up our greens…

#PureMichigan

Gathering Greens for Christmas Window Boxes

I think the holiday time is when I actually get the most questions from people about my window boxes. Especially from the hearty folks who walk in my neighborhood during the frosty winter months.

It can be a little tough to get those greens to do just what you want them to.

So here’s the scoop on how I put mine together…

I grab my huge pink tub and head north to my parents’ house. They have a big, beautiful place surrounded by woods.

Along with spending time with my Pops, trucking around the woods in the Ranger is my favorite part of the excursion!

#PrissyGirlsLikeRangersToo

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make in winter window boxes is only buying one kind of greens.

Usually the long, thin pines that don’t give your window box much depth.

Pops and I have a big advantage, I know. We have the whole woods to pick from and we do!

This year, you could see the beautiful Michigan sky shifting from blue to grey as we tried to beat the storm!

I’ve also discovered over the years that you will actually need more greens than you think to get that overflowing window box look.

I have a pretty darn big potting bench and this is what it looks like after I unload!

There are a few types of greens I can’t find at my parents… boxwood and magnolia.

(Well… my little momma does have gobs of boxwood but I’m pretty sure she would come after me with a broom if I tried to hack them up!)

So I buy both of those at the florist. Even though I’m living in the north now, I can’t leave my love of magnolia behind…

Using Chicken Wire in Christmas Window Boxes

I think this next part might be the real secret to winter window box success…

Ssssh… Don’t spill the secret to anyone else but I use chicken wire inside each window box to help keep the greens just where I want ’em!

Cut the chicken wire a little longer and wider than the inside of your window box so you can tuck the sides down in to the dirt…

Don’t get the kind of chicken wire with small holes or your greens won’t fit.

I think this is about 1-1/2 inches wide.

Here’s the view from above after it’s all tucked in…

Which – for a vertically challenged chick – is a tricky and slightly dangerous shot to get!

Designing the Window Boxes for Christmas

Then when I am ready to deck the window boxes, I begin by sorting each type of green in to a separate pile.

And I try to be mindful of how they grow… those with branches dropping down are great for the base. Ones heading up work best in the back or closer to the top.