How to Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out

by Chantal Aida Gordon, Ryan Benoit

Grow a few square feet of green no matter where you live. 
 
“A colorful (and meticulous) how-to guide for creating gorgeous indoor and outdoor window boxes.”— Real Simple
 
Meet the window by far the most accessible garden for any skill level, space, or quality of light. Whether your window faces south where the sun floods in or north with nothing but shade, these indoor and outdoor projects show you how to easily grow succulents, herbs, cacti, monstera, and more.
 
Bright photography and instructions take you from understanding soil and watering needs to personalizing your own box, making this a great primer for anyone who’s green to gardening.

 

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Adult, Plants, Nature, Crafts

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2018

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living in an apartment with no place for anything outside this book interested me very much. When I was growing up in Carlsbad, CA my Mom had plants EVERYWHERE. If there was an empty spot there would be a plant bought and put there. Throughout my childhood and up until about 10 years ago I would mess with her plants & replant them. 10 or so years ago I stopped being able to go out in the sun and I moved to an apartment without places for plants. This combined had me a place without any sort of plants.

There was a good introduction and the authors go over more then 10 different window boxes. The photos where colorful, bright, and clear. The instructions on how to put it all together was well written. It also covers extra lighting which I was VERY interested in as that is the thing that stops me from having plants at all. I especially like the part about customizing your own box – it gets you to think about what is possible for your windows and areas. I plan on keeping this book on my shelves for future reference – especially when I am able to get lighting and can make myself a window box garden. Maybe I should even make a cat nip garden for my cat.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com for a honest review.

[Jenny Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom is working on starting her own plant business; my little sister figured out how to spawn and grow succulents, and me..well..I have a black thumb. I am doomed with the ability to kill even the most resilient of plants - but it doesn't stop me from trying to learn what I am doing wrong and aspiring to figure out how to bring color into my life with plants.

This book is filled with gorgeous photos and step by step instructions on how to set up a window box planter, how to maintain it, and how to make sure that it flourishes. There is information for both indoor and outdoor boxes. After reading through the details and seeing how easy the set up is - and having more information on the maintenance, I am feeling a little more confident and eager to start a new project. I just need to gather the necessary tools and decide where I want to place my box, and what kind of plants would do best in that area!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little book! It is a wonderful guide in creating your own perfect window box, and offers many different styles and tons of helpful tips! It even makes a cute little coffee table book! The cover is sturdy and well-made, the pictures are gorgeous, and overall it is a great addition to any gardener.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book with lots of pictures and good instructions. I do think however some of the plants might be hard to get ahold of certain times of year or in certain locations of the country. They were all great looking designs.

[June Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers everything you need to know about window box gardening--A to Z!

The introduction presents basic information such as light requirements for indoor and outdoor gardening, light requirements for window boxes, tools, how to buy plants, etc. I found the soil types charts and hydration information to be extremely detailed and helpful. The authors lead readers through the fertilization and pruning processes and how to replace dead plants.

'The Boxes' section of the book is colorful, engaging, and intriguing. Here the authors display the various window boxes they have designed and give detailed 'recipes' for each project. The projects range from cacti gardens {The Sand Box} to the lush Rain Forest window box and everything in-between!

The kitchen boxes are unique and clever. I was fascinated with the 'Edible Petals' project which includes flowers that can be eaten. Nasturtium, alyssum, marigold, geranium, and dianthus are a few of the varieties included in this project. The 'Salad Bar' box includes lettuces, kale, and spinach. The 'Herb Garden' is whimsical with its chalkboard paint sides on which a gardener can label the plants with chalk. This garden includes oregano, thyme, parsley, sage, etc.

The photography is excellent as are the stepped-out instructions for the projects. The type is rather small on some of the sidebars in the book, so be aware of that if you're buying the book for someone who prefers or needs a larger text size.

All in all, this book is highly-recommended for gardeners, plant and flower lovers, inventive cooks, do-it-your-selfers, and parents/grandparents who like to work on DIY projects with their children/tweens/teens!

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I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. I received no compensation from Blogging for Books or any other party for posting this review here or on any other sites.

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[Susan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the book’s back cover, How to Window Box tells readers how to “Cultivate a few square feet of green no matter where you live.” And that’s exactly what this lovely hardcover book does.

How to Window Box is compact – just under 6 x 9 – and less than 180 pages, but it’s packed with a ton of gardening tips, tricks and know-how. After a generous and informational introduction, the authors address sixteen different types of window gardens to help readers choose the perfect garden for their individual gardening lifestyle:

• Sand Box
• Herb Garden
• Tiny Island
• Sunny Succulents
• Ice Box
• Detox Box
• Danglers
• Rain Forest
• Edible Petals
• Jungle Box
• Salad Bar
• Flower Stand
• Woodlands
• Beach Dune
• Southern Belle
• Window Bog

There are many awesome window gardens to choose from, readers are sure to find the perfect garden inspiration.

Each garden type includes advice on choosing the appropriate plants, sun requirements, planting and watering and more. The accompanying photos provide wonderful visual instructions. The photos of finished window boxes are wonderfully motivating. I can’t wait to try my hand at creating some of these beautiful garden boxes.

I love to garden, but large gardens intimidate me. Creating a window box with the help of this book is just what I need to motivate me.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who might be looking for a unique take on container gardening. Thanks to the publisher and Blogging for Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book.

5 of 5 Stars, Susan Barton, https://diymomblog.blogspot.com

[Lael Braday · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous, little book begins with a basic introduction to container gardening: aesthetics, placement, sunlight, tools, soil / topping, plant selection, watering, and maintenance. It’s then divided into16 chapters with succinct, descriptive headings, such as Herb Garden, Edible Petals, Southern Belle, and Rain Forest. Each chapter begins with a photo of the finished product and a quick review box of logistics: location, light, window direction, ease of care, soil / topping, water, and feed. Following is a spread of the individual plants with Latin and layman names. Step-by-step instructions have corresponding pictures. At the end, there’s a short chapter on customizing a box and another listing resources.

For a hobby gardener, anyone who lives in an apartment, or someone who cannot have plants inside due to pets, this book is perfect for a weekend project to make a beautiful arrangement for a window, balcony, or out of pet’s reach inside. Information is laid out for quick and easy understanding. Take it along to the nursery to choose the plants—it’s small enough to throw in a purse or cargo pants pocket.

I was fortunate to receive this wonderful book through Blogging for Books for an honest review. I plan to make the Detox Box to clean the air in my home—the authors shared a bit of trivia that “snake plants were shown in a NASA Clean Air Study to remove benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and other toxins from their surroundings.”

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not own any indoor plants. I’ve done a little outdoor gardening but not a huge amount. But I thought this book looked cute and might give me some ideas for growing flowers outside or maybe getting some indoor plants. This book is incredibly detailed and is honestly a must-have book if you want to know how to create window boxes of any type. It has step-by-step instructions on what plants and flowers to plant - everything from decorative indoor and outdoor plants to edible plants; what will work best in your USDA zone; the best side of your house or living area to use depending on sunlight patterns; even specific instructions on how to build and paint the boxes. It has beautiful and detailed photos and it’s just overall very informative. You will get your money’s worth from this book and if I do end up creating a box or two, I will use this as a reference book. FYI, I do not recommend buying the Kindle version of this book because it was very hard to flip through the pages. It kept skipping into different sections when I wanted to read the book in order and took forever to navigate. It’s worth it to purchase the physical book just for the photos anyway. All this being said, I’m starting off small (VERY small) with two tiny succulents which I am going to put on my kitchen windowsill. If I can keep those alive I might invest more money in other plants, but for now that’s how I’m starting out!

[Lilith Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know nothing about plants. I have never planted a garden or even had a window box. I like the idea of bringing greenery inside so when I got this book, I thought it would be a fun read.

With my little background, I found this book to be very informative. This book starts off with a nice introduction about plants. This included a basic overview of the type of plants, some vocabulary and some other tips about plants.

After reading the introduction, this book is broken down into types of plants you can grow. In each section, there are some details, tips, and tricks specific to the plants to keep them alive and growing well.

I found this book to be a great start if you are looking for some ideas and ways to get started. Once you find the type you want, I would suggest using this book to get started and then looking on the internet for long-term care ideas.

Overall this book is a great starting point for adding nice greens to your home.
I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion. All reviews are mine and were in no way influenced by outsides sources. I am a professional blogger at Little Lady Plays

[Cathy Cermele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love, love, love this beautiful book! The cover alone, cheered me up on the cold day it arrived, so I started looking at all of the lovely photos throughout.
I've always had either herb plants in my kitchen window or succulents. I knew that I wanted something cohesive and just couldn't decide how to group the plants in a pleasing manner.

Luckily, this guide gave me several ideas and directions on how to accomplish what I was looking for. The authors have dedicated chapters for inside and outside window boxes. They have clear instructions on the type of plants, soil, toppings, watering and feeding. Some of the care, I was familiar with, some. not so much!
Something else that I love about the book is its compact size. I don't have to remember to take notes and photos with me when I go to the garden center, I can just slip the book into my bag and I'll have all the information I need with me.
I think that everyone that enjoys plants inside or outside would love to have their own copy.

I received a copy through Blogging For Books and have given my honest opinion.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you looking into starting a gardening? Are looking to build a garden in a small space? How to Window Box by Chantal Aida Gordon and Ryan Benoit could be the book you seek. They offer ideas and information about "small-space plants to grow indoors or out."



Window boxes can be enjoyed inside your home or in the great outdoors. They can be huge or tiny depending on the plants you use or the size of your containers. This book focuses on small size window boxes, but there are other gardening books that feature containers of various sizes. Gordon and Benoit also offer a wide range of garden types - edible, beach, bog, floral, and more. Each created box type has general plant information (light, soil, water, feeding, etc.), names of possible plants you can use (genus and species), instructions on putting the box together, tips, and notes on how to personalize your window box.

It's a fun little book to add to your gardening collection. It would be fun to create window boxes for yourself or to give as a gift.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books.

[TheConsultingWriter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I’d consider a coffee table book, one left for visiting guests to look through. The photographs are colorful and provide plenty of detailed. I find this extremely helpful when going over the instructions as it helps visualize. And there are a lot of different styles from succulents to tropical to edible. There’s really a wide range.

Instructions start with how to hang the box, building and customizing, figuring out the best size and consideration for indoor window boxes.

This hardcover book is sure to delight garden lovers. Perfect for just about anyone from city dweller to farmer. I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little book to get you started on setting up your own window box. 16 different window box projects with 16 totally different planting schemes. I wish the physical boxes themselves were as wildly different as the range of plants in them. Some ingenious options, too: The Flower Stand includes vase holders, and the Edible Petals includes a shelf to hold your drink. This is a worthwhile look at what planting can be done in just a few square feet.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts with an overview of how to choose, site, and put together window boxes both indoor and outdoor.
Handy notes on what sun requirements on labels mean (outdoor & indoor), what kinds of sun exposure depending on which directions the window faces, types of soil, types of surface/mulch materials, etc. 16 projects describe selected plants, soil, window box, planting depth, lighting, fertilizer, watering etc. 1) Sand box (Cacti); 2) Herb Garden; 3) Tiny island (bromeliads); 4) Sunny Succulents; 5) Ice Box (freeze hardy); 6) Detox Box (snake plants, which are good for air quality); 7) The Danglers; 8) The Rain forest (ferns); 9) Edible Petals; 10) Jungle Box (tropical vine houseplants); 11) Salad Bar; 12) Flower Stand; 13) Woodlands; 14) Beach Dune; 15) Southern Belle; 16) Window Bog. Lots of good tips even if you don't want to create those specific window boxes.
Section at the end with building instructions for customizing boxes (for trellises, bog garden, etc.).

[Carol Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and getting using the pictures to come up with ideas for window box arrangements. It was very informative and the step by step directions were very helpful. It gave advice on what plants to pair together and had helpful pictures for many of the steps.

More Info
Author Bio
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

[Kari Eggerling · Rating 3 out of 5]

2018 Reading Challenge
#27 A Book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift
#28 A Book by two authors
#34 A Book that's published in 2018
Good little book on window box gardening.
Window box is a great container garden for small spaces. a how to make a window box and suggestions on what plants to put together.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of beautiful things. I like that it is full of great information which is easy to understand and not overwhelming. There are details instructions and pictures. My favorites are : Tiny Island, Sunny Succulents, Ice Box, Detox Box, Danglers, Rain Forest, Jungle Box, Salad Bar and Southern Belle. I should probably start with the Detox Box, that is my skill level right now.

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy how to instructions on window boxing. I was expecting more variety on the box styling. I was also really disappointed, every flower or plant mentioned in the book isn't named. There were some that looked amazing, but had no name, so then I couldn't even track them down. I did ask our city garden club ladies, they didn't know of few them either.

[Jonii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, small, window box shaped book full of different combinations of wj down boxes to plant and care for. There is something for everyone from succulents to herbs to flowers. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, user friendly guide to getting their window box on.

[Jeffrey Ning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visually-themed book on gardening with limited space for green projects. Refreshing informative with scientific names that addresses and resolves ambiguity of a plant name.

Will need to customise to local context as the book targets US-based audience. Nevertheless, it is good reference book.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way the book was divided into sections based on plant types (how much light, water, etc.). I did get a couple of ideas for my inside windows. I do wish the writing was larger for the illustrations, I had to use a magnifying glass to read the types of some plants.

[Rebecca Crawshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful little book on creating the perfect window box for your space/lifestyle. I will definitely be using their advice on container gardening. Excited to get started!

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative, easy to follow instructions. Going to make myself some window boxes!

[Gay Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many novel ideas for those with only room for a window box to garden. Enjoy as you leaf through photos showing you how to plant each window box, plus other helpful information.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, an easy-to-use book with easy-to-create templates for all sorts of interesting combinations of window boxes! Adorable end pages and fabulous photography!

[Erika Jaeger-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet but full of good information for its size.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas for window box or small container. Lots of colorful photos.

[Donatello · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING BOOK!!!

[Michelle Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick read with some planting basics. Designing boxes was the main focus and it's given me some ideas as I have become more interested in plant care.

[Josean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pictures, steps and overall layout for what the book describes