I would like to hang window boxes on two , 3rd floor, south-facing balconies near Chicago, IL. What types of flowers and foliage would be good, hardy options? What soil would you recommend? Does one need to put perlite at the bottom of the box?

Any helpful hints for a novice gardener would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

first of all... the other forum on GW that you will want to pay close attention to is the container gardening forum. Its basically the same as here. we all garden in containers.

So, to answer your questions with my experinces....

I have been gardening in some form all of my life, and balconly / container gardening for the better part of 5 seasons now. As anyone here can tell you, have had TREMENDOUS success at growing super plants in containers.

Firstly, Dont be fooled by what you can fit in window boxes. You c an fit more than you'd think , provided you are diligent about fertilizing and watering.

Here is what I did. Firstly for flowers... My absolute favorite plant for window boxes that produce flowers all season long until frost are: Vinca (madagascar periwinkle) and Catmint. Both of those procduce rather prolific displays of flowers the entire growing season and both get pretty big. Both are bush plants, one being more upright, the other being upright to trailing over the edge. The latter being the catimint. Catimint is an HERB, and can be used in making teas that are good for calming and upset tummy as well as sleeping.

I would also look into trying the following plants

Ornamentals:
Vinca Vine: not to be confused with Vinca (madagascar periwinkle) vinca vine is a trailing plant with verigated green and white leaves. This plant can grow (hanging over the edge) upwards of 10 feet in a season.

Dracena "spikes": These are good center piece plants. THey are spiky, kind of like mini yucca plants, and will grow very vertically.

Herbs: Catmint, English or Lemon Thyme, Sage of any kind, Curry, Lemon Balm, rosemary, lemon Verbena. I would also consider here, Alpine strawberries. Alpine strawberries are a compact plant, and do not send out "runners" as do the usual common strawberries. Also, thier fruit is much smaller than the common strawberry, and it is also much more flavorful. It is very sweet, and also a good bit bitter, but most importantly, the flavor is VERY intense. Smaller fruit, but MUCH m ore intense flavor,... and the plants are very attractive and compact upright type plants. They also bloom quite a bit, so there are always cute, snow white flowers to look at!

The thing with all of the above mentoned plants, is that they can all be used for culinary purposes, from making tea's to cooking, or drying, groudning and storing them for future use.

There is nothing like cooking a salmon filet on a beautiful summer evening and seasoning it with your own home grown herbs!!!!

Other things to consider would be Oxalis (shamrocks) lavender, Salvia, Merigolds, even dwarf, ornamental varities of chilipeppers.

Pretty much all of the plants I have mentioned to you would do best with an ESE to a western exposure. Even north may provide enough light during the summer months for you.

What is your exposure btw?

I am sure there are FAR more plants than I have mentioned to you h ere that you can use. Just keep reading here, and im sure between all of us, and the vast knowedge that everyone h ere collectively posesses, that you will have more than enough to choose from.

The people here are not only extremely knowledgeable about thier gardening hobbies, but they are also extraordinarily friendly too!

Please let us know what you do, and post pics of you p ossibly can! we would love to see the "fruits" of your labors!!!!!

Ken

I second the herb idea, especially if you have a southern exposure. Alas, I have to make do with partial shade, as my SE exposure is somewhat blocked by trees. Also, following the edibles theme, I'm growing dwarf nasturtiums in a planter on my balcony railing. You could try mixing those with some herbs for contrast.

The thing with south facing is you are getting so much sun stuff can really dry out quickly. I would advise plastic containers which seem to hold moisture better, and to think about growing plants that are a bit more tolerant of dry soil, to cut down on your watering. Snapdragons seemed pretty easy maintenance for me, many herbs like drier soil. I also had luck with zinnias, I just threw the seeds in some containers and had beautiful flowers all summer. Just some basic examples.

What you can use, especially with your southern exposure, is Soil-Moist, Terra-Sorb or some such - these are polymers designed to reduce watering. They absorb water like a sponge, and when the soil dries out, they release the stored water into the soil. Mix it in with the bottom 2"-3" of soil. Be careful though - use too much and the water-swollen polymers will push up through the soil. You could put a couple granules in a cup of water to get an idea of how much water they can absorb.

As for what you can plant in those windowboxes - geez, I think that a better question is what can't you grow...LOL!

I've grown snaps, spikes, verbena, petunias, daisies, pansies, salvia, petunias, potulaca, vinca vine, creeping zinnia, petunias, ivy, vinca vine. sweet potato vine, petunias, marigolds, lobelia, coleus, even regular zinnias in my windowboxes - and did I mention petunias??? Needless to say, I love petunias!

The choices are really limited only by your likes and dislikes. Take a look at the Proven Winners site for some ideas .... the recipes are for pots, but you can adopt/adapt any of them for your windowboxes.

Welcome! And happy gardening!

PV

The important thing is to give them enough water without letting them sit in it a puddle. This goes for everything you grow. Soak the soil thoroughly, all the way through, then let it drain out and don't water again until it begins to dry out near the bottom. Sometimes you can let it get completely dry before watering again, just not for long, like not for an entire day in the sun. Just watch the water. After awhile you'll learn just how long it takes for certain planters in specific places to get dry and will develope a watering schedule. This goes for houseplants too. Enough water without a puddle is the most important thing. Sun plays a roll too, but not nearly as much, for most things, as water.

I've seen people who were unable to grow anything. When I saw their beds needed water I would say, "You need to water that." and they would get out the hose and sprinkle some water over it. I just laughed at the little water they gave it, only dampening the surface. You have to water the roots, all the way down, then let it drain and dry out some before watering again. Most annuals fit into the above category, in regards to watering.

The only exceptions are things that like wet feet. Read the labels. If its a bog plant, arum or can grow in a pond or damp area, keep it damp all the time. Usually the label will tell you how much water it likes. If not, you can always look it up on Google.

Water pots until they drain out the bottom. A good rule of thumb for houseplants is, water it and let it sit in the water in the saucer for half an hour, then remove the sitting water and let it all drain out. Don't water again until its almost completely dry all the way down.

Water, water, water! I know this post is repetitive, but I can't stress the watering enough. Line the planters with plastic to keep them from drying out so fast. Window boxes and hanging pots are hard to water enough as they dry out very quickly. In the sun, in the heat of the summer, you may be watering them every day. Its time consuming to keep pots and planters watered enough but its the only way to have lush green plants and flowers in them.

Seeds I bought: zinnia, sweet pea, and morning glory. I have a hydrangea out there now and so far I've managed not to kill it.

I'll go do some reading in these forums and see what else I can learn, hehe. Hopefully I'll end up with flowers in spite of my lack of common sense in buying. (Sorry, LilMo, didn't mean to take over your threas here)

~Jordyn