Grow Herbs Out Your Window
There are a lot of easy-growing, sun-loving flowers that butterflies love. Here's a unique combination for an 18-inch-long window box. This lush arrangement offers plenty of edible foliage and flowers to use in the kitchen—all you need to do is reach out your window and grab some.
Editor's Tip: When determining what size to build a window box, make sure the finished box is as least as wide as the window, up to as wide as the window trim.
Eric Roth Eric Roth
A: Spearmint
B: Flat-leaf parsley
D: Variegated lemon thyme
F: Marjoram
Denny Schrock Denny Schrock
A: Spearmint
Mentha spicata offers a mild flavor that gives the plant versatility in the kitchen. Mints grown outdoors prefer full sun, so a window box is a perfect place to grow it. The single plant in this arrangement adds fragrance and trailing texture.
Dean Schoeppner Dean Schoeppner
B: Flat-Leaf Parsley
Petroselinum crispum thrives in beds or containers. Parsley does well in full and partial sun, and the flat-leaf variety does quite well in hot summers. The flattened leaves of the plant in this window box adds eye-catching deep green foliage with delicate edging for extra texture.
Denny Schrock Denny Schrock
C: Lavender Cotton
Lavender cotton is grown mainly for its wonderful aromatic green or silver foliage. This plant has sunny yellow blooms in the summer, adding color to the green foliage of the herb varieties in this window box. Lavender cotton also attracts pollinators.
Marty Baldwin Marty Baldwin
D: Variegated Lemon Thyme
Thymus x citriodorus ‘Variegata’ is a beautiful edible ornamental. The lemon-scented foliage of lemon thyme is versatile in the kitchen and the plant itself makes a striking ground cover for sunny spots. The golden undertones of the foliage add variety to the herb window garden.
David Nevala David Nevala
E: Johnny-Jump-Up
Viola tricolor has tufts of heart-shaped leaves and plenty of 1-inch yellow and purple flowers with brown "whiskers" and purple "chin." Three plants of this violet variety add color throughout the window box. The flowers are edible, making for a gorgeous garnish.
Edward Gohlich Edward Gohlich
F: Marjoram
Marjoram packages a spicy-sweet flavor in its bright green leaves. It has flavorful foliage that can be steeped in hot water to create a lovely herbal tea. Marjoram thrives in containers and hanging baskets and has fuzzy leaves with a pale-green hue.
