“Witnessing the vitality of flowers blooming on a balcony or cascading from a quaint countryside cottage is a mood-boosting experience. Why not replicate this same feeling of joy in your own humble abode by incorporating beautiful blooms?”
Here are our picks of the prettiest window box flowers around!
1. Petunias
These wide funnel-shaped flowers grow on branching, hairy medium-green foliage with varieties of double and curved petals.
Petunias look great as bushy or spilling displays and enjoy a vibrant blooming period.
- Average size: 6-18 inches tall, 1.5-4 foot spread
- Colors: White/purple/red/pink/multi
- Bloom time: Summer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Wave Purple Petunia’, ‘Rosy Dawn’, ‘Tidal Wave’
2. Geraniums
Geraniums come in five-petal flower clusters growing from scalloped or deeply-lobed medium-green leaves.
Tall, statement “zonal geraniums” make particularly great “main theme” flowers in window boxes.
- Average size: 2-4 feet tall & wide
- Colors: White/scarlet/orange/pink/violet/red
- Bloom time: Spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Americana Violet’, ‘Horizon’, ‘Super Moon Red’
3. Vincas
Highly tolerant to the summer heat and humidity, vincas produce continuous dainty blooms on glossy light and dark-green lance-shaped leaves.
They’re a great choice for beginners too as they’re super low maintenance!
- Average size: 8-12 inches tall, 12-18 inch spread
- Colors: Pink/red/purple/white/lilac
- Bloom time: Spring-summer
- Popular varieties: ‘Bowles’s Variety’, ‘Variegated Vinca Vine’
4. Nasturtiums
Available in trailing vine or bushy compact types, these entirely edible plants put out open, funnel-shaped flowers in bold shades on long stalks, growing above rounded lily-pad like green leaves.
- Average size: 12 inches tall, 18 inch-3 meter spread
- Colors: Yellow/red/cream/orange/burgundy
- Bloom time: Summer-early fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Apricot’, ‘Jewel’, ‘Whirlybird
5. Begonias
These bright medium-sized flowers have a waxy texture in both their petals and their large oval-shaped foliage.
The dark-green leaves can have a purple or reddish tint to them, making the blooms pop even more.
- Average size: 12-20 inches tall, 6-12 inch spread
- Colors: Apricot/pink/yellow/white/red
- Bloom time: Early summer-late fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Picotee’, ‘Solenia Light pink’, ‘Super Cascade’
6. Impatiens
These delicate tropical flowers come in solitary blooms or clusters and wow with soft pastel or vivid warm shades.
Impatiens grow from light or dark-green oval-shaped leaves, some of which have a reddish-bronze tint.
- Average size: 6-36 inches tall, 1-3 foot spread
- Colors: Purple/pink/orange/red/blue/yellow/white
- Bloom time: Summer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Celebration’, ‘Dazzler’, ‘New Guinea’, ‘Sonic Magic Pink’
7. Caladiums
Caladiums produce singular white cala lily-type flowers but the large arrow or heart-shaped leaves are the main attraction.
The foliage ranges in base shades of light-frosted green to deep violet with striking and colorful midribs.
- Average size: 12-30 inches tall, 1-2 foot spread
- Colors: Green/pink/red/purple
- Bloom time: Spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Pink Symphony’, ‘Postman Joyner’, ‘Red Frill’
8. Cyclamens
These tiny tulip-shaped blooms grow on tall stalks above a cluster of dark-green kidney-shaped leaves with central white ring markings.
Interestingly, the foliage only appears once the cyclamens are in full bloom.
- Average size: 6-9 inches tall, 3-6 inch spread
- Colors: Pink/white/red/lavender
- Bloom time: Sep.-Dec./Dec.-March
- Popular varieties: Neapolitan Cyclamen, Cyclamen africanum, Cyclamen persicum
9. Marigolds
These large, beaming flowers make a great window box centerpiece with their daisy and pom-pom-shaped heads.
In strong contrast to their ruffled bloom texture, marigold foliage is dark green, lacy, and serrated.
- Average size: 6-12 inches tall, 6-9 inch spread
- Colors: Orange/bright yellow/golden yellow/red
- Bloom time: Late spring- fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Bonanza Marigold’, ‘Bidens’, ‘Yellow Jacket’
10. Ornamental Peppers
This adorable filler plant for your window box produces round or elongated Christmas light-shaped peppers in a rainbow of colors.
The pepper fruit grows on a bushy bed of dark-green lance-shaped foliage.
- Average size: 10-20 inches tall, 8-24 inch spread
- Colors: Yellow/red/orange/purple/white/black
- Bloom time: Mid spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Black pearl’, ‘Medusa’, ‘Bolivian Rainbow’
11. Periwinkle
Delicate periwinkle flowers have rounded or propeller-shaped petals in light pastel shades to bold and bright colors.
These blooms grow on short, close stems above their light- to dark-green and glossy oblong leaves.
- Average size: 6-12 inches tall, 2 foot spread
- Colors: Blue/violet/cherry red/pink/yellow/green
- Bloom time: March-April/summer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Littletunia’, ‘Merlin’, ‘Illumination’
12. Red Salvia
Red salvia typically produces tiny scarlet blooms growing in tight clusters on a tall flowering spike, making a striking accent plant in your window box.
These grow above medium-dark green slightly serrated oval leaves.
- Average size: 1-3ft tall, 9-18 inch spread
- Colors: Scarlet red/lavender/burgundy/white/salmon pink
- Bloom time: Mid spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Saucy Red’, ‘Jezebel’, ‘Roman Red’
13. Verbena
Verbenas produce a beautiful clustered bouquet of tiny saucer-shaped flowers growing on erect branching stems.
The blooms sit high above medium- to dark-green fern-like foliage with slightly toothed edges.
- Average size: 6-12 inches tall, 18 inch spread
- Colors: Violet/light purple/coral/white/red
- Bloom time: Late spring-early fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Twisted Lanai’, ‘Imagination Verbena’, ‘Aztec Red’
14. Astilbe
Adding a feathery texture to a window box, this ideal filler flower produces erect flower spikes of plume-like blossoms above clumps of light green fern-like leaves.
Each variety blends well with each other when planted en masse.
- Average size: 6 inches to 1 foot tall, 1 foot spread
- Colors: White/pink/peach/purple/red
- Bloom time: Late spring-early summer
- Popular varieties: ‘Hennie Graafland’, Astilbe chinensis, ‘Sprite’
15. Coleus
Perfect for shady window boxes, coleus plants have ovular, fringed, or heart-shaped leaves with wonderfully contrasting leaf patterns and colors.
They also produce spikes of tiny blue or white flowers toward the end of the season.
- Average size: 12-18 inches tall, 2-3 foot spread
- Colors: Yellow/orange/deep pink/red/green
- Bloom time: Spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Wizard Velvet Red’, ‘Super-Fine Rainbow Festive Dance’
16. Heliotrope
Heliotropes are made to be enjoyed up-close in window boxes since these coiled clusters of soft forget-me-not-style blossoms on a backdrop of dark-green pleated foliage emit a warm vanilla scent with notes of marzipan and licorice!
- Average size: 1-3ft tall, 1-2 foot spread
- Colors: Purple/lavender/white/blue
- Bloom time: Summer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Marine’, ‘Princess Marina’
17. Sweet Alyssum
This low-maintenance plant produces dainty clumps of teensy four-petal flowers on grayish green strap-like leaves coated in silver hairs.
Sweet alyssum can drape gracefully at the front of your box display.
- Average size: 3-9 inches tall, 12 inch spread
- Colors: White/pink/purple/yellow
- Bloom time: Early spring-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Frosty Knight’, ‘New Carpet of Snow’
18. Dianthus
Dianthus flowers range from single to mass creeping clusters of brightly colored (mainly shades of pink) blooms with fringed, almost spiky edges to their petals.
These grow among blades of grass-like grayish dark-green foliage.
- Average size: 6-8 inches tall, 20-24 inch spread
- Colors: Pink/white/red/lavender/bicolor
- Bloom time: Late spring-early summer
- Popular varieties: ‘Arctic Fire’, Maiden Pinks, ‘Sweet William’
19. Primrose
Vivid and cheery primroses feature medium-sized flowers with five-notched petals, each sitting on slender stems above a base rosette of puckered and wrinkled dark green leaves.
- Average size: 10-20 inches tall, 8-20 inch spread
- Colors: Blue/orange/white/pink/red/purple/yellow
- Bloom time: Early spring-summer
- Popular varieties: ‘Allioni’s Primrose’, ‘Common Cowslip’
20. Dwarf Hydrangea
Lovers of a partial-shade window box, dwarf hydrangeas produce pom-pom-like flower heads in an array of pretty pastel shades.
The delicate, ruffled blooms grow above bright, medium-green, oval leaves (which redden during fall in some varieties!)
- Average size: 2 feet tall, 3-4 foot spread
- Colors: Pink/blue/purple/white
- Bloom time: Midsummer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Little Lime’, ‘Mini Penny’, ‘Pee Wee’
21. Pansies
The bright and often bi-colored pansy features flat blooms with a face-like pattern where the petals connect.
These cheery and edible blooms grow from a base of rounded or heart-shaped medium-green leaves.
- Average size: 6-10 inches tall, 9-12 inch spread
- Colors: Mahogany/black/blue/pink/white/orange/red/yellow/purple
- Bloom time: Spring-summer/fall-winter
- Popular varieties: Viola kitaibeliana, ‘Nature Orange’, ‘Cool Wave White’
22. Heather
Great for winter window boxes, hardy heather comes in feathery flower spikes covered in hundreds of mini bell-shaped blooms.
They grow tall above dark-green scale-like leaves and work well as textured filler.
- Average size: 11-18 inches tall, 12 inch spread
- Colors: Red/pink/purple/violet/lavender/white
- Bloom time: Summer-late fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Firefly’, ‘Algarve’, ‘Ballerina’
23. Snapdragons
Make a statement at the rear of your window box with these tall, upright blooms which attract hummingbirds!
Snapdragons produce blousy flowers on spikes that sit above bright-green lance-shaped leaves.
- Average size: 10-16 inches tall, 12-18 inch spread
- Colors: Peach/red/orange/purple/white/bicolor
- Bloom time: Early summer-fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Liberty Snapdragon’, ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Frosted Flame’
24. Lobelias
These small but stunning flowers feature three larger lower petals and two tiny upright upper petals, creating a distinctive look close-up or from afar.
Lobelias grow from medium-green ovular leaves, often with broadly serrated edges.
- Average size: 5-12 inches tall, 6 inches-1 foot spread
- Colors: Lilac/blue/red/white/pink
- Bloom time: Midsummer-late fall
- Popular varieties: ‘Color Cascade’, ‘Cambridge Blue’
25. Tulips
Tulips can stand tall and handsome at the rear of window boxes with their thick medium-green stalks topped with pretty bell-shaped flowers in all the colors of the rainbow.
Choose between compact cup-shaped or peony-style blooms!
- Average size: 10-18 inches tall, 4 inch spread
- Colors: Maroon/purple/black/white/cream/yellow/orange/pink/red/bicolor
- Bloom time: Early-late spring
- Popular varieties: ‘Flaming Purissima’, Kaufmanniana Tulips, ‘La Belle Epoque’
Wrapping It Up
With so many different flowers to choose from with varying heights, textures, spreading habits, and rainbow colors, the opportunities are endless for your window box arrangement.
Whenever you do decide on your perfect setup, take your time and plant them like a pro!