Plant Your Own Magic With A Window Box
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Get the fairy-tale look
Have you always admired the picture-perfect fairy-tale cottage look, with blooming window boxes and birds twittering about? Maybe a talking mouse sitting on the windowsill, offering polite greetings to passers-by?
Or…Be a TV Foodie
If that fever dream isn’t for you, how about just being a TV Chef, reaching for that fresh sprig of mint or basil to top off your effortless 30-minute meal as your guests sit around your kitchen island all good looking and pleasant.
Either way: A window box mini garden can add whichever brand of household magic you desire to your house.
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It doesn’t have to be an outside thing
A window box doesn’t have to dangle outside a window. A simple windowsill planter can be just as effective at livening up your space.
One of the easiest ways to add a bit of green glamour to your kitchen is a basic window planter full of regularly used fresh herbs.
Soft herbs like basil, mint, parsley and oregano or chives do really well indoors, like each other enough to be planted in the same pot and don’t need excessive amounts of sun to flourish. Stick them in a narrow rectangular planter and place it on even the smallest kitchen windowsill to add to your favourite meal in a matter of seconds. A-La Nigella!
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But catching rays does have its benefits
If you have a space where you can put up an outdoor window box that gets more sunlight, you can go in one of two directions.
First off you can now grow more hardy herbs like Rosemary and Thyme, but you can also experiment with fruit-bearing vegetables like chillies or even small cherry tomatoes. If you have enough space, perhaps on a balcony or stoep, you can even have lettuce and pots with green pepper, aubergine or full-sized tomatoes.
The sky is the limit (or, rather, the railings of your balcony)
Really. Space, budget and your own willingness to tend to the plant is your only limit when it comes to this kind of container gardening.
Not really a culinary artist? Why not go for bright flowers like geraniums. Make your house look positively Mediterranean with vibrant red or pink blooms in brown or terracotta pots.
(The plastic terracotta-coloured planters available from garden centres are lightweight and durable. Also cheap…Don’t be a snob.)
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Lowest of low keys. (But still pretty and pleasing)
If tending to any form of plant at all is just not within your skill set or interest, an easy way to make it look like you care is to simply pop a couple of basic succulents into a window box, and scatter some decorative stones around and call it a feature.
Window boxes can add magic to your house, but you’re still responsible for your own fairy-tale ending. Who Knows? Maybe you can entice your prince or princess with your magic box.
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Read more in our latest Digital Magazines!
Johannesburg
Pretoria
Cape Town
Durban
Vaal Triangle
Bloemfontein
