10 Best Flowers for Window Boxes

The best flowering plants for window boxes

Growing flowers in a window box is a great way to brighten up the front of your home.

There are many different plants that you can grow in a window box including annuals, bulbs, succulents and ornamental grasses.

In this article I’ve listed ten of my favorite window box flowers to add color and interest to your home.

Most of these flowers are annuals, so you can change them up every year.

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geranium flowers in a window box

1. Petunia (Petunia × atkinsiana)

Trailing petunias are one of the most popular plants for window boxes.

They grow best in a position that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day and they can tolerate hot temperatures and humidity.

Petunias come in a wide range of colors including purple, pink, red, yellow and white.

You can use one single color or combination of colors in a window box.

Plant petunia seeds in early spring and you’ll have blooms all through summer.

RELATED: 10 Best Trailing Annual Flowers

Colorful flowers

2. Geranium

Geraniums are beautifully fragrant plants that look great in window boxes.

They grow best in a sunny spot, but they need some afternoon shade in hot summer weather.

When watering geraniums, it’s best to water the base of the plant to reduce the likelihood of fungal diseases.

Geraniums aren’t frost tolerant so they will need to be moved indoors before the first frost of the season.

RELATED: How to Grow Geraniums in Window Boxes

Flowers in window box

3. Fuschia

Trailing Fuschias are another great flowering plant for window boxes.

They’re tender perennials that can also be grown as annuals in areas with cold, frosty winters. 

Fushias grow best in partial shade and prefer cooler temperatures.

Regular feeding and deadheading will encourage flowering and prolong the flowering period.

Fuschia flowers

4. Pansy

Pansies are winter hardy annuals, so they’re perfect window box flowers for areas that receive frosts.

They come in a variety of bright colors and their edible flowers can be used in salads or as a decoration.

Pansies grow best in cool temperatures in a full or partial sun position.

They bloom from fall to winter in hot climates and from spring to summer in cool climates.

RELATED: 5 Winter Flowering Annuals

Pansy flowers

5. Marigold (Tagetes)

Marigolds have beautiful bright yellow and orange flowers.

They grow best in a position with full sun and bloom during spring and summer.

Marigolds are easy to grow from seeds and can be planted directly in the window box after the danger of frost has passed, or started indoors four to six weeks before you’re ready to plant them outdoors.

Marigold flowers

6. Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)

Trailing Nasturtiums can grow more than 3 feet (90 cm) long and look beautiful cascading down the sides of a window box.

Nasturtium flowers can be orange, red, yellow or cream and the flowers are edible.

Nasturtium seeds can be planted directly in the window box after the last frost of the season when the soil is warm.

In colder areas, you can plant the seeds indoors and transplant them out in spring.

RELATED: How To Grow Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums growing in garden

7. Dianthus

Dianthuses, also called pinks, are an easy to grow annual with pink, white and red flowers.

They’re great for window boxes in a position with full sun.

Dianthus can withstand light frosts and cold weather but not prolonged freezing temperatures.

Dianthus flowers

8. Impatiens

Impatiens, also called Busy Lizzie, has beautiful bright flowers in colors of pink, red, purple and white.

They grow well in a position with partial shade and need regular watering during the growing season.

Impatiens can be fertilized every two weeks during spring and summer to promote more blooms.

Impatiens flowers

9. Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora)

Portulaca is an ideal window box flower for full sun positions.

Portulaca has flowers in variety of colors including pink, yellow, red, orange, cream and white.

The fleshy foliage stores moisture well so it’s a good drought tolerant plant.

Portulaca reseeds readily and usually grows back every year.

Portulaca flowers

10. Annual Begonia (Begonia semperflorens)

Annual Begonias, also called Wax Begonias, have beautiful pink, red and white flowers.

Some varieties have green leaves and others have reddish colored leaves.

Annual begonias grow well in a full sun position but they need afternoon shade in areas with hot summer temperatures.

Annual begonias should be watered at the base to avoid fungal diseases.

Begonia flowers

So there’s my list of the 10 best flowers for window boxes.

These flowers are sure to draw attention to your home with their beautiful bright blooms.

The video below has some great tips for creating a stunning window box flower arrangement. I think you’ll find it helpful.

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Which of these window box flowers is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.

Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Flower Gardening and Garden Ideas that you may enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook.

Best flowers for window boxes

Best flowers for window boxes

Kelly Martin

Hi, I'm Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener and designer with over 10 years experience. I have a passion for small space gardening and I love designing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces that maximize the potential of small urban gardens. Read more

This Post Has 16 Comments

  1. Emman Damian

    Geranium and Pansy are both my favorites! They look so cute and adorable! My mom loves them too.

  2. Erin Knight

    Petunia is my favorite. I have it for my windows, and it has brightened my day whenever I saw them outside my house.

  3. joy

    Pansies you listed above are a great option. Are daisies not a good option?

    1. Kelly Martin

      Hi Joy, yes you can definitely plant daisies in window boxes. There are so many beautiful flowers that look great in a window box.

  4. Emily Zielinski

    These are all so beautiful! If I lived in an apartment I would definitely have a flower box outside my window!

  5. Tiffany La Forge-Grau

    These are all such pretty options! I would really like to do this to some of my windows!

  6. Ave

    I wish we had the possibility to add some window boxes for our apartment. Pansies are my favorite for sure and my mom had geraniums and petunias decorating our childhood home.

  7. Annemarie LeBlanc

    I love pansies and petunias but I could not grow them from seeds that I get from the garden supply store. I will look for other places where I can get viable seeds. My windows need a pop of color from these pretty flowers!

  8. Rosey

    Window boxes, if kept properly, look so wonderful. The pop of color is not only good for the person living there, but also everyone who walks by and sees it too. 🙂

  9. Nigar Rahman

    These window boxes for flowers look so pretty! It also saves space. I love to grow petunias and Impatiens in a window box.

  10. Ruth I

    I’ve always liked the feeling of having flowers around. Boxing makes it more appealing and tidy even. I’ve done this myself numerous times.

  11. Melanie williams

    I would love to have a window flower box. It makes a massive difference to the home, so colourful xx

  12. Fran

    What size is that window box?

  13. Tere Amerine

    Boy it’s a hard decision. I hope I have a green thumb like you. I like the seed geranium and the purple draping flower. They are all glorious but the varieties that you have chosen are perfect.

  14. Bonnie

    What size is your window box

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