Window Boxes Recommendation.

[DGG]

The "Dragon Lady" is getting herself all worked up about putting up window boxes (you can guess who will actually be putting them up). Our house is brick, and I'm looking for three suggestions from you pros.

1. What type of box should I buy, wood, fiberglass, etc.?

2. Where to get it?

3. What's the best way to install them?

I have seen prices from $19.95 to $299.95 for the same size boxes. Some even have a water metering tank of some sort so you don't have to do daily watering. Some are wrought iron and you just plop the pots into the thing. My poor dumb brain is overloaded with all these choices. Help!

 

[Husky137]

How much can you spend and what is it going to take for me to put you in a new window box today?:biggrinbounce2:

 

[Adkpk]

1. cedar
2. local lumber yard
3. Don't know.

Good luck and have fun doing it.

 

[Husky137]

You can but metal hanger brackets for window boxes at places that carry window boxes like garden centers. Some are decorative, others are functional. Some attach to the building, others hook on the sill.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Go to the lumber yard (or internet) and look at a product called Procell. It's plastic that looks like wood. It's light, easy to work with, doesn't split like wood, lasts forever, is easy to clean, comes in different colors, and they even sell matching screws. It's amazing stuff.
1x6" costs about $2.80 per foot. Worth every penny.

 

[DGG]

Thanks for all the good info. I like the procell idea if it can be cut and routed and fastened together like wood it would be perfect from a maintenance standpoint. The cedar also sounds good. I'll look for mounting brackets.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The procell is better than wood for working with. You can screw near the end grain and it doesn't split, when you cut or router it it doesn't splinter, and if you get the colored screws they match the wood and look really nice.
Cedar looks nice, but it only lasts about 6 or 8 years unless you stain or paint it, then you're on a maintenance cycle.

 

[DGG]

The procell is better than wood for working with. You can screw near the end grain and it doesn't split, when you cut or router it it doesn't splinter, and if you get the colored screws they match the wood and look really nice.
Cedar looks nice, but it only lasts about 6 or 8 years unless you stain or paint it, then you're on a maintenance cycle.

Mike - Thanks again. This stuff looks great.

I'm definately going to check this out and get it if it comes in the sizes I need. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

I found the company's website. They are going to email the location of a local Procell supplier.

http://www.procelldeck.com/product_info_advantages.html

Now I have to figure out how to attach the boxes to the brickwork and stonework. Probably lead anchors are the best. I'm not sure whether or not I need a separate holder or bracket. I have a friend who does wrough iron work and I'm sure he could make some up. The problem again is maintenance of them. My thought is to take the boxes down in the late fall and store them in the basement until spring. I have stone walls on parts of the house that are uneven and spanning them is my main concern. I may be able to attach brackets to the bottom of the window framing and set the boxes into them.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You could drill into the wall with a masonry bit and install cement anchors. The type that leave a small threaded bolt end sticking out of the wall would allow you to drill matching holes in the planter box and just put nuts on to hold the box. For that matter, you could use any cement anchor. But here's what I was thinking:

If you use procell, the only thing that would need maintainance would be the plants, you could just leave the boxes up.

Drill holes in the back of the planter box like this:

Then you could just put the box over the nuts and pull down to mount the box, push up to remove.

The procell comes in 1x8 and 1x6 inch sizes, that's all.
It's not quite as stiff as wood, so you migh need an extra divider in the center, depending on how long you are making the box, to keep the box from bulging out in the center if you fill the box with heavy soil.

After you get all the bugs worked out, let us know, I might put some up too.

 

[DGG]

I made 4 boxes from "Procell", 3-24" and 1-36", very easy stuff to work with. I found some L-shaped aluminum box hangers. Two of the hangers will support 40 pounds of box. The hangers have a channel in the back where you place another lightweight strip of aluminum when you attach the hanger to the wall. With the box in place sitting on the bracket, you bend the strip of aluminum that is attached to the back of the hangers over the top of the edge of the box closest to the wall. This secures the box on the vertical axis. I put a couple of small screws into the strip and the box to secure it on the horizontal axis (so when I'm pruning the shrubs I would not bump the box and move it sideways).

The concrete anchors worked perfectly. I'd had never used them before, always used lead anchors and screws but these are easier.

The "dragon lady" was so excited she had to put some artificial silk pansie flowers into the boxes until the real McCoys grow up to take over the flower duty.

Thanks to all for their great suggestions! Have a great day!