Window Gardens

Azaleas make wonderful additions to patio and window gardens. They are naturals as potted plants: as evidence, thousands of beautiful potted azaleas are given as gifts each year. They provide the year-round beauty of a potted plant, and in spring you’re bedazzled by profuse blooms that appear near Easter. If you carefully select azaleas with different blooming seasons, you can even enjoy them in your window garden for months. If your space is limited, don’t deny yourself the beauty of flowers on your patio, azaleas require little of the busy gardener.

Selecting a Container
Azaleas will grow in a variety of gardening pots. Your finances and your tastes will dictate what you’ll use for the most part. Landscape designers suggest using more than one size of containers when creating window gardens or patio retreats. Consider combining unmatched pots in different shapes and sizes. This will shift a visitor’s sense of proportion and make the area appear more spacious.

When selecting a container select one that is larger than the current pot by several inches, thus allowing for growth (bonsai may be the exception to this rule). If you are combining the azalea with other plants for a window garden arrangement, you must also take into consideration the size of all the plants, allowing enough room for each plant to mature.

Fibre Clay Pot Consider the planted weight of the container before purchasing. Stone, concrete, and terracotta pots are virtually impossible to move once planted. If you live with several people who are willing to help you man-handle a plant around, then indulge in your desire to have a stone planter for your azalea. If not, you might want to purchase a lighter pot. It’s not that stone and terracotta aren’t lovely – they are! – they are just difficult for one person to move. Should you still want that special heavy container for your window garden, be sure to place it in position prior to planting. The planter to the left is made up of a combination of ceramics and fiberglass that is considerably lighter than regular ceramics. The one at the top of the page is also made of fiberglass and has had metal fibers added to make the material appear to “rust” with age — as would a molded metal container.

Watering is the only frequent duty of the container gardener. Try to use pots that are larger than 10 inches across (25 cm) as they won’t dry out as quickly. And azaleas don’t like to be dry! They prefer a constant supply of moisture without being soaked. If you have even less time than a few minutes, or plan to be gone for extended periods, consider planting your azaleas in a self-watering container, or purchasing a small drip system for your potted plants.

Containers are made with a variety of materials. Wood, ceramic, metal, stone, terracotta, and fiberglass are common materials used. Scrub any previously used container with a stiff brush and a 10 percent solution of water and bleach before planting. This will prevent any pests or diseases from a previous plant from infecting your azalea.

Container Companions
In nature, the color and texture of plants create a sense of harmony. Remember that azaleas are naturally “under-story” plants or plants that like to be under trees. They are excellent for those sites that have afternoon shade. Since you are creating the window garden without mother nature’s help, select those plants that also grow well in dappled sunlight. Such plants include hostas, ivy, camellias, Mexican orange, Japanese spindle bush, and Lily of the Valley (Pieris). To add color with annuals, consider begonias, fuchsias, impatiens, and geraniums. But before you run to the nursery, you need to consider your color combinations.

Color usage can effect how we perceive space – an important rule for those with small patios or living in an apartment. Garden color themes either use two or more shades of the same color, or use complimentary colors (colors from the different sides of the color wheel). If you feel like experimenting, proceed! The final rule, as always, is to please yourself. But if you’re not sure of color choice, select from simple combinations first, and then expand.

Plant height, texture, and seasonal variations should also be considered. Try to combine different textured plants. Your azalea will be a slightly rounded bush and probably one of your taller plants. Mix it with a broad leafed plant and another that trails. Place the tallest plant towards the back of your container, the shorter one to the middle left, and the trailing one towards the front. In the photo below, a Maidenhair fern, a purple Heuchera (Coral Bells), and a Duc de Rohan azalea provide a pleasing view from a guest window.

For outside arrangements, however, use plants that are hardy for your area. Build window gardens that will survive. When purchasing plants, check the tag of the plant to be sure it will survive your winter lows.

Window Gardens – The Potting Process
Mixed Azalea Planter Potting an azalea is relatively quick if you have planned ahead. Purchase potting soil that doesn’t contain manure or fertilizer as these can burn your plant. Have a coarse gravel or broken pottery pieces on hand. Then follow these steps:

1. Select a new container that allows for growth of your azalea and (if desired), allows room for companion plants. Be sure the container is clean and has drainage holes.

2. Fill about one inch on the bottom of the container with a coarse material. Stones or broken terracotta are good choices. Soil tends to compact over time and this layer will prevent the compacted soil from blocking your drainage holes. It also prevents soil from escaping out the bottom of the pot.

3. In a separate bucket or container, dampen the potting soil you intend to tuck around your plant. Place a layer in the container and tamp it down.

4. Remove the azalea and companion plants from their containers one-by-one as you plant. Frequently the roots on your new plants will be root bound. Using your fingers or a hand tool, tease out the roots so they are not compacted, and place the plant(s) in the container, centering as needed. While holding them in place, fill in the empty spaces with the damp earth you prepared earlier. Try to plant each plant at the soil level it was in its’ original container.

5. Pat down the soil around each plant with your hand. Water thoroughly. Place your new window garden in a partially shaded location.