Low light window planter ideas

Hi all,

I decided to revive a wall planter under a window a couple of years ago thinking as sunlight was limited to go with ferns as an idea to get some nice greenery all year round. Even though it is North facing it gets more sun I think in the morning and late afternoon/evening than I realised and this dried it out more than I anticipated and admittedly I failed to keep up the amount of watering needed.

So upon visiting a garden centre I randomly picked up 3 evergreen plants from the reduced section thinking they had obviously endured somewhat of a hard life already:
A Sedum
Thyme
Heather

So far they seem to be ok after a couple of weeks. All for a total cost of £4

I just considered whether to plant anything else in there. It is admittedly a bit of an odd mix really but need things that ideally are evergreen, low growing as it's under a window, ok to resist a lack of watering at times and not a huge amount of sunlight.

Any thoughts at all for any additions worth considering would be much appreciated

 

Heucheras can often do well in that situation - particularly the yellow leaved ones. Sedums and Thyme would prefer more sun and very well drained medium. Would depend on how much you want plants which "trail" ? The variegated Vinca minor ( green/yellow foliage and blue flowers ) may also fir the bill tho they can take over pretty quickly if you aren't careful. You may like to consider Black Grass ( Ophiopogon ) - they like the sun but don't need it all day.
I also have those iron mangers but they can prove difficult to retain water as you have discovered.

 

Thanks Philippa, the Heucheras look like a nice option. I did consider something trailing down as well like you say, it could add a bit more interest to it.

Like the look of Vinca minor and black grass as well, will have a look out for those next time at the garden centre.

Definitely agree with the water retention issue, really need to make sure I keep up the watering as definitely can't rely on the rain to help much at the moment.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

A small growing, variegated Ivy would look great there. Erigeron karvinskianus is also a treasure that withstands anything.

I'd also suggest to pack in small spring bulbs, the buying season is nearly here.

Like Philippa said, variegated Vinca Minor is always a winner- evergreen trailer with blue flowers on and off throughout the year. I have the white variegated version rather than the yellow one, white looks so fresh especially in shadier situations.

Your current selection sounds like a very good bargain- Thyme and Sedum might prefer a bit more sun but definitely worth giving them a chance there and see how they turn out.

"Reduced to clear"... who could resist the spell

 

Thanks Selleri, funnily enough I was also considering something like variegated ivy when imagining something trailing. Spring bulbs is a good thought, any good suggestions for anything particular?

Will hope for the best with the current stock as well definitely, the Sedum looked very healthy, the Heather seems to be starting to flower and the Thyme although half of it was dead, the living parts seem to be doing ok so far.

 

Erigeron is always my go-to plant for most situations and it flowers for months too. I recently filled two hanging planters in semi-shade with Vinca minor and it's growing like mad. Used three plants per basket and it's now trailing about 18 inches.

 

There isn't room for anything else in there @mp78 .
All of those will spread, and, depending on the type of heather, it may crowd the others out completely, or at least one of the others. That's assuming they all thrive of course.
You may find that when the sun in less in winter, that the thyme and sedum may not do so well, depending on just exactly how the planter's positioned. I wouldn't bet on the thyme thriving to be honest. It really doesn't look happy.
As it's under a window, the eaves of the house can often prevent rain getting in well enough, so just keep an eye on it, even in autumn. Despite liking drier conditions, those will all need watered well enough to get established properly, and anything in a container needs more attention to keep it happy, compared to being in the ground

 

Thanks Bluejayway, might get some for a hanging basket as well.

 

Thanks fairygirl, I must admit I was thinking the same yesterday about the winter light levels being less.
The Thyme was like that when I bought it reduced, half of it was dead and brown. I didn't know whether best to remove the dead bits as it's such a small plant and the replanting might have been enough stress for it.
Will definitely have to see how things progress in the next few months. It was admittedly a bit experimental and an odd mix but good to have the other options suggested already if they do start to struggle I could potentially relocate them to the sunny south facing back garden. Although that is starting to get overcrowded as my neighbour removed a big tree a few years ago that was casting a lot of shade and since then everything has grown like mad. My Trachycarpus seems to have literally doubled in size as well as many other plants.

 

I’ve got two wall mounted hay rack style containers, but with coir linings which have a water retentive lining.( I have in the past used regular coir liners but with a circle of plastic - old compost bag- at the bottom to retain some water.)
These are on the north side of the house, and completely sheltered from any rain. I’ve managed to grow a lot of the usual stuff in them, including petunias and lobelia. I’ve currently got nasturtiums I grew from seed and begonias, and for trailing over the edges, aptemia ( or mesobryanthemum) I managed to overwinter some cuttings of those from last year.
Despite being on the north side, and very shaded, ( we also have mature trees on the south side to add to the shade) they get a surprising amount of sun in the late afternoon from the west.
I think I had more success through luck than judgement. When I started out, I hadn’t given a thought to the fact that some plants preferred sunlight. In my ignorance, I just bought what I liked the look of!

 

I’ve also used nepeta as a trailing filler, but didn’t see any this year when I was buying plants for the basket and the container. It has done really well in the past.
However, I do think your approach of rescuing some neglected specimens and just trying them out, is excellent! If they don’t thrive, you can move them elsewhere, if they do well, you’ve given them a new life. And it hasn’t cost much. I’ve certainly made some expensive mistakes in the past.

 

Thanks Ergates, I did think it was worth a go as hoping at least they would have more of a chance than where they may have been destined otherwise. Will be interesting to see how they get on as can't be sure exactly how much sunlight there is there, it's quite an open location otherwise.
I'll look out for Nepeta as well.
Unfortunately my coir liners were cheap ones from Home Bargains, as little as a couple of quid if that for two of them. I was just happy to find the size and shape I needed. I did consider I should have looked more into water retention, you do see all the water go straight out the bottom when watering.
Appreciate the other plant suggestions as well.

I don't know with the potential for the existing plants to spread as has been mentioned already, how much space there might be for additions but might see what I come across when out and about.

 

As Fairygirl says do not forget to water these troughs as they dry out very quickly, speaking from experience as I have a couple of similar ones. I often forget about them after watering the rest of my potted plants on the patio. We have marigolds in ours.

 

Random plants requiring very different random conditions. A piece of plastic in the bottom of the container helps to retain water.
If you are happy to take a chance with reduced specimens that is fine but they do like very different soils and sun. You will need to monitor the plants you have chosen regularly. Good luck.

 

Thanks waterbut, definitely want to make it part of my watering routine.