Just because you have a small space doesn’t mean it can’t be impactful. And especially around the holidays—you might have the urge to make everything more beautiful, bright, and cozy. Share your seasonal cheer, whether you have a small garden or a tiny balcony, with these winter window box hacks.

Pick Your Window Boxes

If you don’t already have one, or you’d like to upgrade your window box game for winter, find the window box that’s right for you. Simple, streamlined designs, like our Modern Window Box and Simple Elegance Window Box, match more contemporary home designs. More traditional homes look better with a Hampton, Laguna, or Solera window box. All of our window boxes are durable and built to last for several seasons without warping, cracking, or fading.

Choose Your Plants

Of course, the plants you choose depend on where you live, which plants thrive in the climate, and which ones you prefer. Still, there are several that live well in many plant “zones.”

For instance, boxwoods are winter favorites and are hearty growers in many areas. They are also great backdrops for other winter foliage, and great window box plants. But if you’d rather go faux, we also have artificial boxwoods that look just as real (and require zero care). Other shrubs like dwarf varieties, or cut boughs, of spruce and cypress are also winter staples, and will dress up your windows beautifully for the holiday season. Other foliage favorites include flowering cabbage, ornamental kale, English ivy, and monkey grass?

And tis the season to add a little wintery silver to your plantscapes in the form of dusty miller, dichondra, artemisia, cesicia, blue fescue, lamb’s ears, or dianthus. To add color, think deep, saturated tones for winter. Choose your pick of flowering plants like cyclamen, coleus, and poinsettias to bring the wow factor.

Add Some Sparkle

By “sparkle,” we mean anything that brings joy to your heart. Decorative items that elevate your window boxes to wonderland-level mini gardens may include candles (flameless, to be safe), ornaments, bows, pine cones, berry sprigs, wreaths, fake snow and snowflakes, bells, garlands, pine cones, and faux fruit like pears and apples. You can also add literal sparkle with twinkle lights and tinsel. Fun decorative figurines like mini snowmen, deer, cardinals, candy canes, icicles, and other holiday trinkets are also whimsical additions.

Fill Your Railings with Good Cheer Too!

When it comes to your small outdoor space, think big! Along with window boxes, you can add railing planters to your deck, patio, or porch railings. These railing planters are essentially window boxes you can mount on railings, offering the same curb appeal and dimensional interest—and a visual barrier between your front porch and the street. Add privacy, block unwanted views, and show your seasonal spirit for winter and for every season with these small planters that are easy to switch plants out for a fresh look when you want it. We offer several different designs, from natural wood to wrought iron to modern fiberglass.

Add a Planter or Two

 Planters are the perfect way to enjoy plants with little floor space. Use them to define a seating space, direct foot traffic, and even add a bit of privacy. And for your outdoor winter décor, they are a great companion to your window boxes. Placing even one or two planters on your front porch or patio warms up the space, making it more inviting for those holiday guests coming by.

Give Yourself a Holiday from Plant Care

Want to enjoy your seasonal plantscapes without spending the entire season caring for them? We have a few options to make your new window box wonderlands a lot more low key. One solution is to fill your planter boxes with realistic-looking, artificial plants. They look real, last in any weather, don’t need water or fertilizer, and never wilt or die—what’s the downside? We even have faux flowering plants that look great in your holiday window boxes. Outdoor-rated faux poinsettias, azalea bushes and vines, gardenias, boxwoods, English ivy, and ferns are all ideal for your holiday window box displays.

What about when you’re exhausted from holiday parties and shopping, and you just want to hole up inside and watch Christmas movies? Self-watering reservoirs give you the time you need to unwind by extending the time between watering your window boxes. These reservoirs make any window box self watering by their unique design that allows water to wick to where your plants need it most: their roots. But instead of saturating and waterlogging your plants, causing root rot, they are designed to trickle water as needed, so your plants stay hydrated and healthy.

Why Window Boxes?

Whether you want to save floor space and “garden up” vertically, define your space, add some greenery, or create more privacy, window boxes are your small space solutions. Easy to switch out seasonal foliage, create a suspended herb garden, or up your curb appeal, window boxes are versatile home décor in any, and every season. Shop window boxes, planters, hanging baskets, and other home and garden favorites at windowbox.com.