Seasons
Swap a summer window box for fall in one afternoon
What to take out of a summer box in September, which orange flowers go in and how to carry the color down to the steps.
5 min read
By the first week of September a summer window box starts to look out of step. The street turns amber, pumpkins show up on the steps next door, and a box of pink and blue petunias reads like a beach towel left out after Labor Day. With artificial flowers the change is simple: nothing to pull up, nothing to compost, and the summer bundles go into a box for next year.
What to take out and what to keep
Keep the greens. Eucalyptus stems, boxwood and ferns carry straight into fall, and they give the orange flowers something to sit against. Take out the pinks, blues and bright purples, because those are the colors that feel like July.
White can stay if you like it. A few white bundles between orange ones look crisp against brick or gray siding.
| Summer bundle | Fall swap | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Fuchsia or pink petunias | Orange fall petunias, four to a pack | 15.7 in |
| Red or pink geraniums | Orange fall geraniums, six to a pack | 14.2 in |
| Mixed morning glory | Orange and yellow fall morning glory, 12 to a pack | Varies |
| A large pink petunia bush in an urn | A large fall flower bush in orange or red orange | 25.5 in |
| Eucalyptus or boxwood | Keep it | As before |
Plant the box from the back
Pull the summer bundles, shake the dust off and lay them flat in a storage box. Then look at what is left: probably a line of green along the back. Push the orange petunias in front of it, 15.7 inches tall with seven stems and 14 flowers on each bush, and fill the gaps with the fall geraniums at 14.2 inches.
Bend the front stems over the rim, as you did in spring. Orange reads as a warm band from the street, and the box edge disappears under it.
Carry the color down to the steps
A fall window box looks finished when the same color shows up below it. Put two pots of orange geraniums on the steps, or stand one of the big fall bushes in an urn beside the door. At 25.5 inches with a spread of about 15.7, one bush fills a large urn on its own.
Add what you would add anyway: a stack of pumpkins, a bale of straw, a basket of pinecones. The artificial flowers stay bright through October rain, and you can move them around the porch as the pumpkins change.
When to switch again
Most people keep the fall box through Thanksgiving and switch to evergreens after. Store the orange bundles the same way as the summer ones, flat in a box in a dry place. Next September they come out, get a shake and a quick bend of the stems, and go straight back in.
Everything for the swap is on the fall flowers shelf. For care through a wet fall, see outdoor care for artificial flowers.
Not sure how many bundles your box needs? Write to windowbox@bassion.org and the Bassion team will answer.