• Enjoy winter color with vibrant evergreens, flowers, and herbs.
• Enhance visual interest with plants that feature texture and verticality.
• By following climate cues – and giving your plants proper care – it’s easy to create a thriving winter window box full of gorgeous flowers and greenery in almost any area.

The days are shorter. The sun sits lower in the sky. A frost creeps across your garden. It feels like the vibrant greenery of the warm weather months is about to become a distant memory.

But as the end of the calendar arrives, it doesn’t have to mean staring out at stark, colorless views for months on end. With the right plants for a winter window box, you can still enjoy life, texture, and cheerful blooms to brighten up even the chilliest days.

Here, we’ll talk about some of the best plants for a winter window box to transform your home into a welcoming space during the cold season. We’ll even share some tips to keep your greenery thriving all season long.

Evergreen Anchors

True to their name, evergreens make great plants for a winter window box because they keep their vibrant color all year round. Evergreens add a strong structural base to both window and ground-level planters, creating a reliable backdrop for other plants you add to your containers.

Boxwood

Boxwood is compact, dense, and easy to shape. Just remember that if you’re planting in winter, don’t prune then – it can stimulate new growth that’s easily damaged by cold temperatures. Save the trimming for spring, and then you can safely cut them into any shape you prefer, such as round, conical, spiral, or block.

Dwarf Conifers

While towering pine trees clearly aren’t the right plants for a winter window box, dwarf conifers add verticality. Their signature needles also add contrast against trailing or flowering plants.

Holly

The glossy leaves and bright red berries of holly are practically synonymous with the season. Holly makes a gorgeous, colorful addition to your winter window box, while its flowers that bloom in spring and early summer provide beauty year-round. 

Hardy Blooms

Did you know some of nature’s prettiest blooms can still shine, even when the mercury drops? It turns out, you’ve got a few options for adding the beauty of flowers to your winter window box. These are our top three plants for lifting your spirits on a gray winter morning with a bright pop of color. 

1. Pansies and Violas

The famous smiling faces of these plants are a joy to behold on a wintry white day. Pansies and violas tolerate frost and even light snow. In mild climates, they can bloom all winter long!

2. Cyclamen

These delicate, butterfly-like blooms love chilly temps, showing off their shades of red, pink, and white as the weather cools. They look particularly dramatic alongside trailing ivy.

3. Primrose

If your winters are on the mild side, consider primrose. Offering a rainbow of vibrant shades, they’ll require a bit of cover if you experience prolonged periods of frost.

Textural Interest

Texture is as important to creating visual interest as color, so keep that in mind when picking out plants for a winter window box. When you mix up different foliage, your planters look fuller and more dynamic. Top picks include:

• Dusty Miller: Its silver-gray leaves add a frosty look that enhances both flowers and evergreens.
• Ornamental Grasses: Feather reeds and elephant grasses bring motion and verticality to your winter box garden.
• Ivy: Hardy winter varieties tolerate cold while trailing elegantly over container edges. This softens the design of the flowers and plants you’ve picked for your winter window box.

Edible Touches

Growing things to eat isn’t the strict purview of spring and summer. Many herbs make surprisingly good plants for a winter window box.

• Rosemary: Looking almost like a miniature evergreen, this hardy herb can withstand wintry weather.
• Thyme: Creeping varieties gently cascade over the edges, imparting both beauty and their savory aroma.
• Sage: A staple in winter cooking, its gray-green, velvety leaves also look stunning in a cool-weather box garden.

Whatever time of year you plant herbs, pinch them back regularly so they don't get woody and instead continue to produce new growth.

Climate-Specific Tips for Winter Window Box Plants 

Freak storms can come out of nowhere in any area, but your typical climate will dictate what is most likely to thrive in your window box.

Mild Winters

If you live in a spot with moderate rainfall and you rarely see temperatures go all the way to freezing, you’ll have the widest selection. Flowers and herbs should do well.

Cold Winters

For climates with some snowfall and winter lows that don’t sit for long below freezing, focus on evergreens, dwarf conifers, and ivy. Pansies are an option for color, but might need to be replaced after hard freezes.

Harsh Winters

In areas with frequent snow, long freezes, and regular freezing temperatures, the toughest evergreens make the best plants for a winter window box. Holly is an excellent choice, as the plant’s berries offer a rich pop of color.

Basic Care Tips

No matter where you live, a few steps will help your winter window box flowers and plants last longer and look their best.

• Use quality potting mix
• Add mulch
• Water wisely
• Fertilize lightly

Choosing the right container setup also sets you up for success. A window box with a coco liner insulates roots and allows for good drainage. Self-watering window boxes in areas that typically stay above freezing can regulate moisture levels during dry spells.

Enjoy Cool Weather Beauty With Window Box Plantings

With window boxes – and the right plants – it’s easy to enjoy gorgeous greenery year-round. Now that you’ve been inspired by these perfect plants for a winter window box, design your cool-season garden with planters and other versatile, high-quality garden favorites from Windowbox.com. Turn every glance out the window into a lovely reminder of nature’s seasonal beauty!