This year’s summer window box was kind of a bust. I tried something new and it was a fail. I used a couple of annuals that were new to me, unfortunately I didn’t even keep track of their names. By mid-August, it just looked like I had a bunch of weeds growing in my window box.
Ugh! Terrible, right?
So when I heard an ad on the radio saying that the mums were in at Bachman’s, I went to Menard’s to see if they had them too. Mainly because Menard’s is usually a bit cheaper and I can get there on my lunch hour. Sure enough, they had rows and rows of them. The larger ones were only $3.99 and since I needed 9 of them that seemed like a do-able price. So I grabbed a bunch of mums, threw in some celosia (at $6.99 each) and called it good.
I ripped everything out of the window box except the euphorbia, planted the celosia together in the middle and filled in with the mums.
I’ve added a fab pop of color to the front of my house with this combination! I didn’t go overly ‘fall-ish’ with my color choices since it is still rather early in the season.
And sadly, these mums aren’t going to last much more than a month or so, if that.
But they are a huge improvement over the ‘weeds’.
I still think I liked last year’s monochromatic fall window box better though. Remember it?
Which one do you prefer?
q is for quandie 
Both are quite lovely!
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Thanks Clarice! That is a very diplomatic answer 😉
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Apples to oranges for me Linda. I am partial cause I love celosia and all its fuzziness. Also last years has some growth on it so it’s obviously the lusher of the two in your photos. But in the end I am a monochromatic gal and the pumpkin seals the deal.
Big plans for this weekend?
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Yep. last year’s was more jam packed, mainly because I was able to hang onto more of the summer plants … the ivy, the ferns, the caladium …and filled in with just a couple of mums and some hydrangea blossoms. And the white pumpkin. I need to add some pumpkins this year, but it’s still too early. They would just rot away in the heat and humidity that we are having this week! Weekend plans: Zumba, paint furniture, dining table make-over, and a Labor Day garden party. Also jam packed!
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I must be a strange bird but I like the “weeds”. Reminds me of a country garden! I think it’s the informal random look that gets me. Natural beauty. Of course your last yeas box was dreamy too!
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I can say that the “weeds” were prettier mid-summer when they had more flower than green. I do like a country garden myself, but maybe just not in my window box 😉
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Cannot just pick one. They different and both gorgeous. Okay maybe I favor the monochromatic a little. Thanks for the shove, my window box needs to be updated; we had such a hot summer it was hard to keep them going.
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Umm ignore my early morning bad grammar haha
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As an English major, I appreciate your candid disclosure. 😉
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It’s OK, I favor the monochromatic one too! I’m a monochromatic sort of girl 😉 I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggled with my window box this summer. It definitely was not my finest year!
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I was nott impressed with my fl;owers either. Love last years box!.[
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Maybe we just didn’t have a banner year here in MN. Although that seems odd since we really had a very lovely summer. Next year I’ll be switching it up completely. Hopefully I’ll have better success!
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The only thing I managed to keep alive in the garden (my first since my move to Western Co) is a few tomatoes, which have produced a handful of pitiable cherry tomatoes that were as sour as me on Sunday evenings as I think about going to work the next day! I figure each of the tomatoes came in at a cost of about $75!!!! To me, your weeds look better than anything I’ve got going!
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LOL. Great comment Vicki! I can just picture those sad, yet expensive, cherry tomatoes!
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I like them both but my favorite is last year’s. It is soothing and I love what it contains.
Beautiful!
Blessings
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Thanks Shelly. I do like the serenity of lots of white and green in the garden.
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Both lovely but prefer last years’ monochromatic arrangement. Also, I have found that mums last well into the fall. Just bought some from Home Depot & (based on past experience) expect to have them around until late October.
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Well, I will have to keep an eye on these and see if they last for me. I hope so!
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actually I prefer what you call “weeds”. The newest version doesn’t have that spontaneous and free look, I don’t much care for plants looking like little soldiers lined up for battle.
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When it comes to plants in the ground I am totally in your camp. I also am not a fan of a super neat and tidy garden bed with each plant spaced just so and lots of mulch showing. But somehow I feel like a window box should be just a little more structured looking that mine turned out this year. I’ll be researching new ideas for the window box over the next six months and hopefully I can come up with a better plan for next summer! Something in between the ‘chaotic weed’ look and the formal ‘soldiers lined up’. Since my window box faces north, I am much more limited in my plant choices. I’ve done Impatiens (zzzz, snore) and Coleus (fab, but been there, done that), an all white look with ferns, caladium, euphorbia and white impatiens. I’ve been trying to change it up every year to avoid being in a window box rut. Any suggestions for shade loving annuals?
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