Windowbox
Encyclopedia
A flower box is a planter box
that is usually placed outdoors and used for displaying live plants and flowers, but it may also be used for growing herbs or other edible plants.
It is usually placed or affixed to an accessible location so the resident of a home may easily work with the plants in the container. A flower box may be installed under a window and supported in place by bracket
s on the wall below, in which case it may be called a window box. Some materials such as PVC or fiberglass use a cleat mounting system from behind to attach to the house or can be directly bolted to the home without the use of support brackets below. Flower boxes may also be used to line decks, patios, porches, steps, and sidewalks and they can even be hung from railings.
Wood, brick, metal, fibreglass, vinyl, and cellular PVC can all be used in flower box construction, with wood being a classical material of choice. A typical wooden window box will last 3-5 years before showing signs of rot. With painting and maintenance they can sometimes last 10-15 years. Fiberglass is known to be lightweight and insect proof. Vinyl and cellular PVC are plastics which are completely rot proof alternatives to wood which are often used on homes to prevent rot or siding damage.
Window boxes are often used by apartment-dwellers on higher floors, who do not otherwise have access to a garden or place to grow flower
s, and allow the plants to be readily seen by those inside the property as well as outside. Window boxes that are only 6"-8" (15-20cm) deep will support many flowers but not tall plants. Larger boxes 10-12" in height can be used to plant items that need more root space and to allow you to layer flowers and plants in multiple rows to create more intricate flower displays. Access for planting and maintenance can be via the window from indoors.
Sometimes a box is placed inside a kitchen
window in order to grow herb
s or other supplies for a chef
as an easily accessed miniature kitchen garden
.
J. Linderski has argued that Pliny
described flower boxes in his Naturalis Historia, at 19.59. However, Linderski could only find one other allusion to this practice in Martial
11.18.
Box
Box describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood"....
that is usually placed outdoors and used for displaying live plants and flowers, but it may also be used for growing herbs or other edible plants.
It is usually placed or affixed to an accessible location so the resident of a home may easily work with the plants in the container. A flower box may be installed under a window and supported in place by bracket
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
s on the wall below, in which case it may be called a window box. Some materials such as PVC or fiberglass use a cleat mounting system from behind to attach to the house or can be directly bolted to the home without the use of support brackets below. Flower boxes may also be used to line decks, patios, porches, steps, and sidewalks and they can even be hung from railings.
Wood, brick, metal, fibreglass, vinyl, and cellular PVC can all be used in flower box construction, with wood being a classical material of choice. A typical wooden window box will last 3-5 years before showing signs of rot. With painting and maintenance they can sometimes last 10-15 years. Fiberglass is known to be lightweight and insect proof. Vinyl and cellular PVC are plastics which are completely rot proof alternatives to wood which are often used on homes to prevent rot or siding damage.
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, and allow the plants to be readily seen by those inside the property as well as outside. Window boxes that are only 6"-8" (15-20cm) deep will support many flowers but not tall plants. Larger boxes 10-12" in height can be used to plant items that need more root space and to allow you to layer flowers and plants in multiple rows to create more intricate flower displays. Access for planting and maintenance can be via the window from indoors.
Sometimes a box is placed inside a kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
window in order to grow herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s or other supplies for a chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
as an easily accessed miniature kitchen garden
Kitchen garden
The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden - the ornamental plants and lawn areas...
.
J. Linderski has argued that Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
described flower boxes in his Naturalis Historia, at 19.59. However, Linderski could only find one other allusion to this practice in Martial
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...
11.18.
See also
- Flower pot
- Urban horticultureUrban horticultureUrban and peri-urban horticulture includes all horticultural crops grown for human consumption and ornamental use within and in the immediate surroundings of cities. Although crops have always been grown inside the city, the practice is expanding and gaining more attention...
- Container gardenContainer gardenContainer gardening is the practice of growing plants exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground. Pots, traditionally made of terracotta but now more commonly plastic, and windowboxes have been the most commonly seen. Small pots are commonly called flowerpots. In some cases,...
- List of gardening topics