WINDOW BOXES AND HANGING BASKETS

Strictly speaking, window boxes do not come under the categoryof planting or designing the grounds, but in a vital way they serve totie the house to the lawn and gardens and thus help to produce theimmediate effect of a harmonious whole. Particularly are theyvaluable in imparting a cozy and "lived-in" atmosphere to a newhouse. Many otherwise uninteresting houses have been made veryattractive through the use of window boxes. A severe type of archi-tecture demands a window-box treatment developed with the heavierkinds of foliage plants such as English ivy, geraniums, and fuchsias,while a lighter architectural design requires vincas, snapdragons, andageratums. The selection of plants for successful window boxes mustbe the result of some study of the effect to be produced and the kinds ofmaterials necessary to produce the effect.