Window Box Liners

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 A window box liner is a great way to make planting easy.  It's also a great way to prolong the life of a wooden window box.  

Planting

Often when you are planting a window box in a high or hard to reach window you will find that having a liner will be very beneficial.  Without a liner you may find that you have to either climb a ladder to plant your flower boxes or plant from indoors with the window open.  Many people don't want to have to bring dirt in their home and pour from a window so for situations like this using a window box liner is ideal.  

Some people also have busy lifestyles and use professional companies to plant their flower boxes for them.  In these instances having a liner is beneficial.  You can bring the liners to the store and have professionals plant them for you there or simply hand them off to a landscape architect and let them fill them for you.  

Wooden Window Boxes

A wooden window box is not designed to be in contact with dirt, water, and bugs.  Without a liner to protect it a wooden box will begin to deteriorate rapidly.  Some people, however, just love the look of a stained wood window box and it completes the look they are going for on their home.  If that's the case, then no problem, just make sure you invest in good liners to protect the boxes so that you don't have to replace them in the near future.  

If you plan to build your own window boxes from wood I suggest looking for liners that are readily available in the marketplace first so that you can build the boxes to fit those liners.  Some companies specialize in making custom liners for flower boxes so if it's too late don't worry there are still people out there who can make liners to fit your flower boxes.  Nowadays, the liner has evolved.  You can now get all kinds of add-ons to a liner such as a filtration system or self-watering window box liners that allow you to water half as often.  

PVC Window Boxes

You might be wondering if you even need liners if your window box is made of plastic and there is a good chance you don't need a liner in these cases.  PVC window boxes resist rotting and can usually be planted directly into.  For a window low to the ground and easy to access I usually tell people that the liner is optional.  In some cases it just adds cost and reduces overall planting space and may not be needed, so consider where the window box is and if you fall into this category.

About the Author

Matthew Buquoi is the owner of Flower Window Boxes, a window box company specializing in composite PVC window boxes and liners