subject: From Breezeway To Garden Room: Unique Window Treatment [print this page] Grow boxes make it easy to grow plants outdoors, but why not use them indoors, especially if you have a breezeway that has access to lots of natural light? Plants will not only make your breezeway look more attractive, they will create a visual link from inside to outside and also clean the air and add oxygen to your indoor environment.
Choosing and mounting the grow box.
You can find grow boxes made from recycled plastic or wood from hardware and home improvement stores and garden centers as well as online stores. Or you can build your own box with a little Internet research. There are so many choices already built and ready to go in a wide assortment of materials.
Mount your grow box below the windowsill to take the greatest advantage of natural light. Depending on the material, it may be bolted directly into wall studs, hung from brackets screwed into studs or supported by a shelf. If a box is made of lightweight plastic you want to be sure that it is properly supported so it does not sag in the center from the weight of the soil and plants.
To keep water from draining all over the floor, choose a box with a detachable under tray that can be emptied as needed and line your box with plastic liner trimmed even with the top of the box. Add 2 inches of coarse gravel topped with permeable weed block fabric, then add potting soil. With this type of arrangement, water will not drain quickly out of the box, so water sparingly and only when needed.
What plants should you choose?
Ivy, hoya, pothos, philodendron and syngonium are climbing plants that tolerate lower light conditions and are great choices for outside edges of an interior window box. If you provide a trellis they will readily scramble around the window. Weeping or sprawling plants may be used to fill in the box between the climbers. Good choices include spider plant or wandering Jew, strawberry begonias, prayer plants, or calatheas. If you want color, begonias, caladiums and coleus will bring in vibrant shades ranging from pale pink to dramatic burgundy. When plants go dormant for the winter, add a layer of Spanish moss and tuck in a few silk plants until tender shoots reappear again in spring.
Adding a trellis for climbing plants.
Provide a trellis around the window so the climbing plants have a place to go. Wrought iron grilles, metal trellises or ready-made wood trellises cut to fit the length of the window are an easy way to go; or you can let the trellis run beyond the top of the window as far as the ceiling. You could also fashion a rustic trellis out of branches and willow. Simply frame the window with your trellis as you would with window shutters. However, it is important to provide space between the trellis and the wall for air circulation. Simply attach 3" to 4" wood shims on the wall to fill the space behind the trellis before mounting.
Hanging plants, hung either from the ceiling or from wall hooks, can fill the upper window space or can be used in lieu of the climbing plants and trellis.
Now add a garden bench or a couple of wicker chairs and enjoy the great indoors.
