window box flowers for shade

 Beautiful and simple combinations 

Find out what flowers work best in a shady window box and how best to combine them. Try these easy-care and colorful window box flowers for shade. Don't let black spots around your home stop you from enjoying beautiful flowers.

1. Boost your pink power

Alternate colors—warm pink and pale pink, then the same—to add visual interest to a long, narrow space.

A. Impatiens 'Accent Pink' — 4

B. Impatiens 'Pink Swirl' — 4

C. Dichondra 'Silver Falls' — 6

2. Go thick with the leaves

A mix of four varieties of coleus, each tall and in a unique color combination, forms a foliage centerpiece for shade among these window box flowers.

A. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Copper') — 1

B. Lantana 'Dallas Red' — 1

C. Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) — 2

D. Coleus (Solenostemon 'True Red') — 1

E. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Big Blond') — 1

3. Make a thick mixture

Containers, especially in arrangements like this, are even better where a variety of foliage, flowers and plant sizes work.

A. Impatiens 'Accent Pink Picotee' — 2

B. Hosta 'Golden Tiara' — 1

C. Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou') — 1

D. Fuchsia 'Thalia' — 2

E. Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata') — 3

F. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Caroline Bronze') — 1

G. Plectranthus 'Zulu Wonder' — 2

H. Vinca major 'Variegata' — 2

4. Change through seasons

Impatiens are favorites in a container garden, and for good reason: they have long blooms, a wide variety of colors, and deep green foliage. Additionally, they are a great choice as window box flowers for shade because they provide summer color after the spring violas fade.

A. Impatiens 'Dazzler Pink' — 3

B. Viola 'Sorbet Blue Babyface' — 3

5. Add Drama to a Big Window

Texture, depth, dimension: this container has it all. A riot of color and form fills this container, from mini flowers of bacopa to unique strawflowers.

A. Bacopa (Sutera 'Bridal Bouquet') — 2

B. Torenia 'Catalina Blue' — 1

C. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple' — 2

D. Shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana) — 1

E. Heliotrope (Heliotropium 'Marine') — 2

F. Strawflower (Bracteantha 'Moonlight') — 1

G. Daisy (Felicia 'Read's White') — 2

H. Bacopa (Sutera 'Snowstorm Giant Snowflake') — 2

6. Add color all the way

More delicate in bloom than their close relative, the petunia, the million beads still shine, especially when mixed for complementary color.

A. Impatiens 'Dazzler Red' — 3

B. Impatiens 'Dazzler Pink' — 2

7. Use white to add elegance

A single color—here, white—accented by variegated foliage is a beautiful and graceful choice of window box flower for shade.

A. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Orbit White') — 1

B. Ivy (Hedera helix 'Glacier') — 4

C. Bacopa (Sutera 'Snowstorm') — 3

D. Impatiens 'Xtreme White' — 2