Adventures In Living and Gardening

I rented a small house in San Francisco, just two blocks from the beach when I was about twenty years old. The house was simply modest, however, it did have a small front yard. There was little else growing there besides a beautiful dark reddish daisy perennial and an profusion of cineraria. The house featured two windows facing the street, a porch and a couple of windowbox planters which were falling apart. There was not even dirt in them. I found it charming, just the same. I was delighted with my diamond in the rough, after having lived in a third story Victorian apartment that offered no gardens. All this new place needed was some tender loving care in order to thrive.

My first improvement was filling those window box planters. However, my budget was as modest as the house and I wanted maximum results for my money. A natural beginning were those window boxes. Some soil and a few flowers and I would be happy.

Daffodils and tulips first sprang to mind, since it was early winter when I took up residency. These flowers were easily planted to add lots of spring colors to enjoy in a few months. Visualizing a burst of sunshiny colors surrounding the front door was a cinch. I quickly set my mind for planning the summer flowers for my window box planters, shortly after I planted my bulbs. However, the San Francisco beach area is fairly restrictive when considering various plant life. What with fog, fog and even more fog, the climate was considerably more depressing when you consider that everything about the house was gray. Yes, gray walls, gray roof and even gray window planter boxes. Those before me, I decided had absolutely no imagination at all.

I chose a red paint, leaning towards magenta to paint the trim, front door and the window boxes. Yes! It looked better already. This made the cineraria stand out nicely and livened up the exterior of the house significantly.

When the tulips and daffodils finally surfaced and bloomed, I was delighted. I’d decided by then what I’d be planting for summer and fall, which coincidentally, but happily, went well with my windowbox planter color. I carefully interplanted begonias, purple and magenta fuchsias between the bulbs and threw in some deep blue trailing lobelias for good measure. By the time the bulbs died down for the summer, these new residents were well entrenched, thriving in the moist and overcast environment. I discovered that variegated coleus inserted yet more color. Visitors commented positively on this delicious display.

As fall turned to winter, white, red and pink cyclamens replaced the summer residents. The begonias came inside to sit out the winter in pots. Meanwhile, spider plants and ferns started populating the underside of the porch’s roof, hanging from their hooks like so many ballroom belles. It’s absolutely amazing what a couple of four foot window box planters can do.

• Outdoor Gardenning In Pots & Boxes Advice: Great Bulbs
• Painting the Window Box
• Container Plants In Places Of Business
• Outdoor Gardening In Pots and Boxes Advice: Beautiful Window Boxes
• Make Your Windows Beautiful With Window Boxes