Flower Boxes
If you are planning out a garden, maximizing your space is important. Unless you have a huge amount of space in your backyard, you have to make every bit count. One of my favorite techniques to do this is using flower boxes and planters. Flower planters have a very small footprint and can be stacked several high if you wish. You can save room on the ground for more substantial vegetable crops and display your decorative plants above.
One thing I really like to do with flower boxes is to grow long, trailing vines from them. The vines wind around the flower box itself, then creep along the patio. I like doing this because it establishes some sort of continuity in the garden. If I have passion flower growing in my boxes, for example, I let the vines creep just to the point of entering my vegetable garden. I don't let them grow long enough to disturb other plants, but I let them creep across the barrier between them. By doing this, I give my garden a more naturalistic look while still keeping different plants separated. It is subtle, but it really makes a difference.
Of course At my old place, I used to bring my flower boxes inside. I didn't really have much space at all, so I used window boxes as a way to really maximize my available room. Even having flower planters in the window will add some color to the garden, but by keeping them inside you have two advantages. Obviously, you get some extra space, but there is another, potentially more important reason. By keeping your flowers protected, you can grow them under more carefully regulated conditions. You can keep them free from frosts and chills, allowing you to grow more delicate or exotic plants.
There are many different kinds of flower boxes,and the differences are not just cosmetic. You really should check on the types of plants you are growing, because some will do a whole lot better in one flower box than another. Some plants need drainage, whereas others need a lot of soil. Some flowering plants actually do best in shallow flower boxes which have very little room to root. Because flower planters are so inexpensive, you can afford to get several different times for different plants. That way, you can make sure that every flowering plant gets the ideal conditions.
