23 Most Beautiful Plants for Window Boxes

Sheri Dorn is a versatile homesteader and culinary artist with a strong focus on organic and heirloom gardening. Holding a Master's degree in Culinary Arts, she combines her love for cooking and gardening in a unique way. Sheri is an active contributor to online gardening communities and enjoys quality outdoor time with her family and pets.
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Want to add an instant curb appeal to your home? Check out the most striking Plants for Window Boxes that you can grow in a small space!

Plants for Window Boxes

Dress up your windows with cute boxes with our list of Best Plants for Window Boxes! How wonderful will it be to see window-sills full of blooming beauties!


Best Flower Plants for Window Boxes

1. Petunia

Plants for Window Boxes 1

Botanical Name: Petunia

USDA Zones: 9-11

It is one of the best plants for window boxes that bloom flowers in shades of purple, pink, red, yellow, and white and even striped, fringed, and speckled varieties.

Here is How to Grow Fuller and Bigger Petunias

2. Touch-me-not

Botanical Name: Impatiens

USDA Zones: 10-11

This is an excellent choice for gardeners who want a beautiful, elegant flower plant to sit on their window boxes and is also easy to maintain and able to grow in shades.

Learn about Growing Impatiens in Pots here

3. Snapdragons

Plants for Window Boxes 3
shutterstock/Kristi Blokhin

Botanical Name: Antirrhinum majus

USDA Zones: 7-10

It could be an eye-catching addition to your window box with its flashy tall spikes covered in grand blooms. These plants for window boxes thrive best in full sunlight.

4. Fuchsia

shutterstock/crystaldream

Botanical Name: Fuchsia

USDA Zones: 6-9

The splendid pink and purple blossoms could add beauty to your window boxes but remember to place them in the shade as most varieties bloom all season long in the shade.

5. Vervain

Plants for Window Boxes 5

Botanical Name: Verbena

USDA Zones: 7-11

Usually, Vervain blooms are tubular in shape and grow in round clusters and flowers only through summer and fall.

6. Crane’s Bill

Botanical Name: Pelargonium

USDA Zones: 10-11

It grows best in a bright, sunny spot, but you would need to provide shade from the harshness of the afternoon sun during summer.

Here is How to Grow Geranium Indoors Year Round

7. Dianthus

Plants for Window Boxes 7
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Botanical Name: Dianthus

USDA Zones: 3-9

It is one of the brightest plants for window boxes. These flowers are easy-to-grow and care-for annual flower plants with white, pink, and red blooms.

8. Hydrangeas

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Botanical Name: Hydrangea macrophylla

USDA Zones: 6-9

You can add a splash of cool blue to your window with Hydrangeas. They grow in tight clusters, making them appear more magical in boxes!

Learn about Growing Hydrangeas from Cuttings here

9. Negrita Parrot Tulip

Plants for Window Boxes 9

Botanical Name: Tulipa ‘Negrita’

USDA Zones: 3-8

Are you looking for a jewel-toned perennial flower? You can opt for the purple Tulip or Negrita Parrot Tulip that helps evoke powerful feelings from their velvety-textured petals.


Best Foliage Plants for Window Boxes

10. Silver Ragwort

Botanical Name: Jacobaea Maritima

USDA Zones: 8-10

Choosing to plant Dusty Miller or Silver Ragwort could be perfect, for it stands out as a neutral go-to plant for any existing color scheme.

11. Elephant Ears

Plants for Window Boxes 11
finegardening

Botanical Name: Colocasia esculenta

USDA Zones: 8-11

Their large elephant ear-shaped, dark green, slightly ruffled leaves with veins and leaf stalks on the underside make them look so stunning on the window boxes.

Learn about Growing Elephant Ear Plant Indoors here

12. Coral Bells

ourfairfieldhomeandgarden

Botanical Name: Heuchera

USDA Zones: 3-9

This charmer is primarily grown for its foliage appeal and could add a touch of beauty to your windows, thanks to its easy-to-care nature.

13. Ferns

Plants for Window Boxes 13

Botanical Name: Tracheophyta

USDA Zones: 3-12

Ferns are one of the best plants for window boxes. They are easy to maintain and remain green all year round, which makes them perfect to add a natural appeal to the windows.

14. Rex Begonias

Botanical Name: Begonia rex

USDA Zones: 10-11

Begonias can add bright, colorful shades and a tropical look to your windows with their gorgeous, ruffled, lush foliage and flowers.

Here is How to Grow Rex Begonia Vine Indoors

15. Sweet Potato Vine

Plants for Window Boxes 15

Botanical Name: Ipomoea batatas

USDA Zones: 9-11

This vine derives its name from its edible relative and could be a good choice for the window box because of its attractive leaves and vining habit.

16. Coleus

Botanical Name: Plectranthus scutellarioides

USDA Zones: 10-11

This fast-growing foliage plant with striking colors in combinations of yellow, green, red, maroon, and pink. All it needs is bright indirect light and well-draining soil.

Here are 5 Quick Coleus Growing Tips 

17. Creeping Jenny

Plants for Window Boxes 17

Botanical Name: Plectranthus scutellarioides

USDA Zones: 3-9

If you like spillers, then this must be your pick for the plant for window boxes. Its bright green hue is sure to turn a lot of heads to your windows!


Best Succulents for Window Boxes

18. Echeveria

Botanical Name: Echeveria

USDA Zones: 9-12

Echeverias are prized for their stunning rosette-shaped foliage, which comes in various colors, including shades of green, blue, pink, and purple.

Here is How to Grow Echeveria Pulidonis Easily

19. Stonecrop

Plants for Window Boxes 19

Botanical Name: Sedum

USDA Zones: 3-9

Fleshy leaves and clusters of star-shaped flowers characterize Stonecrop. These plants come in various shapes, sizes, and colors.

20. Hens and Chicks

Botanical Name: Sempervivum

USDA Zones: 3-8

Hens and Chicks are perennial succulents known for their distinctive rosette growth habit. These hardy plants come in various colors and textures.

21. Jade Plant

Plants for Window Boxes 21
redd.it

Botanical Name: Crassula ovata

USDA Zones: 10-11

The Jade Plant is characterized by thick, glossy, oval-shaped leaves and a sturdy, tree-like structure. It is valued for its attractive appearance, resilience, and bringing good luck.

Here is How to Grow a Jade Plant from Cuttings

22. String of Pearls

Botanical Name: Senecio rowleyanus

USDA Zones: 9-12

String of Pearls is instantly recognizable due to its trailing stems that bear spherical, bead-like leaves resembling pearls. The leaves provide a distinct and eye-catching appearance.

Here is How to Grow String of Pearls Fuller and Bigger Like Pictures

23. Moss Rose

Plants for Window Boxes 23

Botanical Name: Portulaca grandiflora

USDA Zones: 9-11

Its succulent foliage and showy, rose-like flowers bloom in a variety of colors, including shades of pink, yellow, orange, and white.

Here is How to Propagate Aloe Vera from Pups + Force it to Grow More Pups


Tips to Choose a Window Box

Before we get into the Best Plants for Window Boxes, let’s take a look at how you can simply choose the perfect window box.

  • It can be made of brick, metal, vinyl, wood, fiberglass, and cellular PVC. But wood has always been a popular choice.
  • A strong wood window box can last up to 10-15 years with proper maintenance.
  • Fiberglass is insect-proof and also lightweight, so it could also be a good choice for you.
  • Cellular PVC and Vinyl are rot-proof as they are plastics, so they could be an ideal pick too.
  • It is best suggested to put up a small window box on a small window, and the same goes for larger windows.
  • To best calculate the perfect size of the box, you should remember that the container should be about 25 percent of the window’s height.
  • Do not forget to take the amount of sunlight or shade received by the particular window before considering a box or the choice of plants.

Here are the 12 Best Window Box Herbs to Grow

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