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High Level Window Box Planting Ideas for Climbers

#1 · 5th November 2021, 1:13 pm

Hi Lee, just wondering if you could recommend any trailing plants (except for ivy) that we could plant in an upstairs level window box please ? A previous owner bricked up an old door very badly ! We can't really grow climbers up from a pot as it's a fairly narrow passage. It is a North facing wall, but gets a fair bit of late afternoon sun.

We both love your You Tube channel and kinda put our new found love of gardening down to your infectious passion and enthusiasm, please keep making the videos as I'm sure they've inspired many thousands of people.

Thanks Lee, take care,

Mark and Jackie

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#2 · 8th November 2021, 7:51 am

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 8th November 2021, 7:51 am
Hi Mark,

Thanks so much for the kind words about my gardening YouTube channel and that my enthusiasm is getting you fired up to garden! That's brilliant news.

What an interesting planting dilemma you have. I'd tackle this in a two-pronged attack. Planting from above and below that way you can hide the ugly door and also provide some much needed green to the brickwork.

I'd approach it with a potted climber at the base and then some trailing plants from the window box then you can more quickly and effectively screen the area.

Climber for north-facing walls & tight spots:

I'd recommend you look at a shade loving evergreen such as Clematis armandii - wonderful summer colour and long leathery evergreen leaves. This could work really well to grow up the wall without needing huge amounts of sun. You could grow it in a container and mulch it each spring with peat-free compost. It's a real statement climber once it gets going with white spring flowers.

Trailing plants for a window box:

For the window box, I'd use some creeping and trailing plants to help meet the climber somewhere in the middle. It would also help create the illusion of a green 'living' wall once they both establish which could look lovely.

I'd look at Lysimachia nummularaia 'Aurea' also known as Creeping Jenny an evergreen perennial plant that will spill and tumble with a limey green-yellow leaf.

I'd also maybe match it with a purple Campanula for contrast such as Campanula portenschlagiana

I think starting with those three plants should get you off to a bang gardening for success. All three need very little attention and I can guarantee that once you succeed with them you'll be looking for all sorts of other areas to green up with your new gardening skills!

Once they have been established you can even split and divide the creeping/trailing plants to propagate even more plants for free. You can see how to do this in my splitting plants guide below.

https://youtu.be/Dv3mhh1eFFc

Keep up the excellent work!

Lee

Hi Mark,

Thanks so much for the kind words about my gardening YouTube channel and that my enthusiasm is getting you fired up to garden! That's brilliant news.

What an interesting planting dilemma you have. I'd tackle this in a two-pronged attack. Planting from above and below that way you can hide the ugly door and also provide some much needed green to the brickwork.

I'd approach it with a potted climber at the base and then some trailing plants from the window box then you can more quickly and effectively screen the area.

Climber for north-facing walls & tight spots:

I'd recommend you look at a shade loving evergreen such as Clematis armandii - wonderful summer colour and long leathery evergreen leaves. This could work really well to grow up the wall without needing huge amounts of sun. You could grow it in a container and mulch it each spring with peat-free compost. It's a real statement climber once it gets going with white spring flowers.

Trailing plants for a window box:

For the window box, I'd use some creeping and trailing plants to help meet the climber somewhere in the middle. It would also help create the illusion of a green 'living' wall once they both establish which could look lovely.

I'd look at Lysimachia nummularaia 'Aurea' also known as Creeping Jenny an evergreen perennial plant that will spill and tumble with a limey green-yellow leaf.

I'd also maybe match it with a purple Campanula for contrast such as Campanula portenschlagiana

I think starting with those three plants should get you off to a bang gardening for success. All three need very little attention and I can guarantee that once you succeed with them you'll be looking for all sorts of other areas to green up with your new gardening skills!

Once they have been established you can even split and divide the creeping/trailing plants to propagate even more plants for free. You can see how to do this in my splitting plants guide below.

Keep up the excellent work!

Lee

#3 · 9th November 2021, 4:18 pm

Excellent ! Thanks Lee for the great advice, we're off to our local nursery this weekend to order the plants you recommended ! will post some pictures as soon as we're planted up.

Keep up the great work, it really does make a difference to peoples lives.

Take care, Mark

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