"Hey lady, you know you can buy those, right?" Those were the words out of the mouth of the guy who was loading the wood into my trunk at the lumberyard. He asked me what I was doing with the boards and I told him, I was building some windowboxes.
Yes. Yes, I know you can buy them. But I wanted to build some that were exactly like the ones I had because they fit my windows perfectly, were deep enough to fit big plants and just had a custom look. They came with the house and have now rotted to the point that they could probably be used as sawdust pillow filling. So I was going to make some exactly the same.
So, yes, even though I could buy some, I was going to make my window boxes because they're ridiculously easy to make and I wanted them to be exactly like the ones I had before. Stupid lumberyard kid. Pfttt. Youth.
Because I wanted these window boxes to last a bit better than the other ones did, I also bought a set of plastic window boxes that I could fit inside the new wood planters. That way they'd retain water a bit better and the wood boxes wouldn't rot out because there wouldn't be any wet soil against them. The plastic boxes also make my new endeavour a bit easier. Growing all the flowers that go into my windowboxes.
Last year one of my sisters went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It's one of the most spectacular public gardens in the world. While she was there she bought me a few packets of seeds, one of which was called the Butchart Gardens Windowbox seeds. So in April I planted everything that was in the package including Poorman's Orchid, Nasturtium, Marigolds, Lobelia and Alyssum.
Once they were big enough, I transplanted them all into my plastic windowboxes and put them under lights in my basement.
They've been ready to hang for a few weeks now but I haven't been ready to hang them. Because I hadn't built their new custom window boxes. It's common knowledge that flowers can give the stink eye. They've been giving me the stink eye.
So I built my planter boxes. Wanna know how to build planter boxes?
Cut 2 long pieces of wood and 2 shorter pieces of wood and screw them together. You've just build a planter box. Good job.
Need photos? No problem. I've got you covered.
Materials for 2 basic 3' long windowboxes.
4, 6' long fence boards. (spruce or pine)
bag of 2" screws
drill
Outdoor wood glue
- Cut all your 6' boards in half. You'll end up with 12, 3' long pieces.
2. Add wood glue to edges of two boards.
3. Press 2 glued boards (which will be the front and back of the planter) up to edge of 3rd board (which is the base). You are forming the box now.
4. Drill holes around box edges for screws. (you do this so the wood doesn't split when you screw it)
5. Insert your screws into pre-drilled holes.
6. Admire.
You can see how the ends butt together in the above photo. Yeah, that one. The one right up there.
7. Because of the way you've built the box the width will be the the exact width of a board. Take one of your 3' cut boards and mark the top of your box. This is the cutline for your 2 sides. Cut board at line. You need one for each end, so do this twice.
8. Add glue to the sides and bottom of your small side boards. Then stick them in. And smile like a maniac because you've almost built a window box. Once glue is partially set, pre-drill and screw the sides in place like you did earlier.
9. Drill drainage holes into the bottom. I used a ¾ inch spade bit.
You're done. For real. You can either leave the natural if you'd like them to rot away to nothing in a couple of years or you can paint, stain or finish them however else you'd like.
You can shape your window boxes, perfectly rectangular like I did, or you can bring the shorter, side pieces in quite a l bit to create a recess making your window box slightly more elegant.
See how you can see my plastic planters because the size I needed only came in black? Those will be covered up in a week or so once the plants grow. So no problem. Who am I kidding? It's driving me nuts. But I'm going to abide by my "wait a week" rule.
I was happy with my window boxes. I deviated a little bit from how the original ones were built by making them perfect rectangles, but that's how I wanted them. You know. Custom. Like my original ones. Or like the ones I saw at my mother's house 2 days ago, which were exactly like the custom ones that came with my house. Which she bought a few years ago ... at the lumberyard that the stupid ... pftttt .... lumberyard kid works at.
Uh huh.
Karen,
I didn't even notice the black liner til you mentioned it, and I "Looked"!! Awesome job! Thanks for the DIY idea. Love all your ideas and your posts. Thanks so much.
Thanks Cheryl! The liners are already almost invisible since the plants have grown a bit. ~ karen!
"You know they make lawn mowers that run on electricity or gas nowadays" is what one man in my neighbourhood said to me when he saw me with my manual lawnmower. After I told him that I liked the exercise and him and his dog kept standing there staring at me, I finally said that it was better for the environment. It didn't make him stop judging but it made him stop staring!
Karen, you could always add a trim around the top to hide the black plastic if it still drives you nuts - even more custom made :)
Thanks Karen... looks super easy. I might even try it. Where did you get those amazing brackets?? I love them. :)
They came with the house but I think Lee Valley has similar ones. ~ karen!
Awesome! Love the iron brackets too!
Looks great!...I think the black inserts look fine...
Karen, you did read the reviews on the store bought window boxes, right?
Seems the front has a nasty tendency to fall off.
So does the back.
And both the left and right side.
No complaints about the bottom though, so there's that.
LOL. Well yes, that's something then. ~ karen!
The black planter matches the brackets ;)
Love pic number 8...grinning like a fabulous maniac. Do you eat the nasturtiums? Not just the flowers but the joy of sucking the sweetness out of them on a hot summers day...fond memory of childhood. Well, alright not just childhood.
Until an earwig crawls out of the long end of the blossom onto your plate. That can change one's entire perspective on eating flowers. They are delicious though!
(nasturtiums, not earwigs)
Think of the protein! Going to check mine more carefully now. Ditto on preferring the nasturtiums. :-)
Good job! Love the brackets for the window boxes!
I love Buchart Gardens and would love to go back. Your window boxes are da bomb!
Anyone can "buy" a window box. It takes a special person to "build" a window box.
Like you.
Yes. Wait a week. They'll be just FINE!
I have the exact same boxes only painted white. Hubby built them and I bought the plastic ones to insert, makes them easier to manage, put the wooden ones in place and plop the insert in.
Very nice! I love the black iron hanger thingy! It all goes so well together....love your plants and flowers too! Good job Karen!
Thanks lady! ~ karen
Where did you get the black brackets?
They came with the house Stephen, but you can get similar ones from most garden centres. ~ karen!
How lovely! I used to live in Victoria. The summer fireworks at the gardens are the most spectacular thing ever! The beautiful smell of the gardens combined with incredible fireworks is always an event to remember :)
Very very nice!!!
Envy. My hubby doesn't want to drill holes in the house. I am still trying to design something free-standing that I think "we" will build together. Another "we almost got divorced over this" project. LOL
You are such an inspiration, Karen!
You just tell him to stop being so weird and drill away! ~ karen
I saw a design for no-nail window boxes like that. They were mounted on stakes driven into the ground sitting right in front of the windows instead of being attached to the house. This could be done in several ways, maybe even putting trellis below the boxes-- whatever. Obviously, metal stakes would last longest.
I hesitate to diverge from your version, Karen, but since I've already done so, I also wonder if the boxes might last longer with metal grate or screen instead of wood bottoms. (If I were to go to the trouble of building them, I'd want them to last for at *least* a century... Heh.)
Ha! Well, a century might be a bit long for me, but 75 years at least would be nice. At first I loved your metal grate idea, but then it occurred to me that most metal would also just rust and rot, lol. I had rigid hardware cloth in my mind. Also the bottom is what helps keep the boxes straight so you'd have to add some sort of either metal brackets or braces so I think we're back where we started with a plain old window box. ~ karen! ... unless you could find galvanized metal ... that might work for the bottom!
Ooo. Yes, hardware cloth! As for keeping the boxes straight, well, you might be right. But it might be worth a shot for this particular gal. :)
Metal stakes were exactly what I had in mind! And was trying to figure how to keep the bottom more open for drainage--hardware cloth would fit the bill perfectly, with maybe just a few inches of wood bottom at each end to help keep it square. (I learn so much at this blog--thank you, Karen!)
Nice job Karen! I do love me some nasturtiums, especially the orange ones. Was hoping to be the first responder since it is only 10pm-ish here. Did I mention I'm down in Cabo for a week?
No, you did not mention that. ha! ~ karen
Really look great!
It almost looks like you caulked the screws, wood cracks, and joints before you painted, but I can't tell for sure. It's an easy (and cheap) way to extend the life of the paint.
I think she left them natural, no paint! Karen?
Nooooo. Definitely not, lol. No, I primed the wood with a white primer, then painted them with a paint-like wood stain. ~ karen!
Great job! They look fantastic.
Incidentally, I was at Butchart Gardens last year and loved every minute of it. The flower seeds that I brought back are the wildflower mix :)
I still have them so that is a present tense 'are the wildflower mix' or because the sentence is referring to last year when I brought them back...should it be 'were the wildflower mix'?
LOL. I don't know. :) ~ karen!