Wrought Iron Window Boxes
Buy the best wrought iron window boxes selected and recommended by interior designers. By Tara Gosselin.
If you want to add depth and an attractive view to the outside of your house, wrought iron window boxes are a quick and easy way to achieve this. French-style window boxes often include intricate scrollwork or fleur-de-lis details to create a charming and whimsical look. Plus, metal is a versatile material that will look good against redbrick or whitewashed walls. Whatever your favorite flower, it will look stunning in a wrought iron window box.
Wrought Iron Window Boxes
Buying Guide
Tara Gosselin
Interior Design Expert
Tara is a San Antonio-based award-winning landscape architect, writer and educator, passionate about eco-friendly solutions and growing her own food. She knows all it takes to help you create a sustainable backyard retreat that combines blissful charm with a modern take on landscaping.
Iron planter boxes can be an attractive way to display your potted plants. They can be placed in windows, flower beds or on your patio. They can be solid boxes, but most are wrought iron filigree.
Solid metal boxes can be a challenge for growing plants because they tend to heat up in summer and to become extra cold in winter. In fact, even if you have a solid metal box, it is a good idea to use a plastic pot or even a layer of coconut husk or similar material as insulation between the box and the soil which holds the plants. This helps to keep the hot metal from burning the roots. With that said, metal boxes or holders can be a durable, versatile decorative item.
Baskets with Window Ledge Hooks
An open-work metal basket with hooks that can be placed over a window sill, a fence or a railing is an easy-install option for planter boxes. The sturdy frame can be placed almost anywhere and can easily be moved to search for more sunlight or shade. Tuck a plastic or terracotta liner in the metal basket and you are set for windowsill or patio gardening. If you have a tall privacy fence that ordinarily blocks the sunlight, by hooking the baskets at the top of the fence, they can have full sunlight and plenty of room for trailing plants to trail down the front of the fence.
Wall Mounted Wrought Iron Baskets
Homeowners who want something a little more permanent can take advantage of wall mounted wrought iron baskets. They can be the length of a window or balcony edge and are often constructed with intricate decorative details. The pretty holders can be loaded with individual pots or they can hold a single long planter. Ideal for pansies or petunias, they can also be loaded with marigolds, nasturtiums or violas to good effect.
Free-Standing Boxes with Legs
Free-standing boxes with legs can be used on your patio or placed strategically around your lawn. They are an ideal place to put bulbs or larger plants that would be too heavy for a wall hanging or window ledge basket. They can be filled with individual pots or long pots, just as can the wall hanging baskets.
Suspended Iron Baskets
An assortment of hanging baskets along the edge of a porch or patio can provide color and greenery all summer long. The baskets are easy to hang and can be brought inside at the first signs of frost, preserving your pretty plants well into the autumn season. The downside of these is the need for hooks on which to hang them, which are sometimes not so easily installed. An alternative method is to hang the baskets from a framework, such as an old swing set if you happen to have one handy.
Gatepost Planters
Box planters can be placed on porch steps or on broad gate posts that are near the end of a drive. This is a good place for trailing vines but check with your local conservation office before planting. Some types of vining plant, such as English Ivy or bittersweet, can become invasive if it escapes into the wild.