Make a Window Planter
Window planters are old-fashioned classics that bring a bit of summer inside. Planted with fragrant lavender, mint and miniature roses, they bring the outdoors in on a summer breeze. If you've got some preserved or weather-proof lumber, a few joinery supplies and tools, you can build as many exterior boxes as you need in a weekend. Plant your box with brightly colored plants like petunias, geraniums and lobelia---plants that don't mind a little dryness---and keep them trimmed to encourage bushiness. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cut wood sides to a length that fits your window (28 inches is a suggested length). Put a piece of scrap under the 1-by-8-inch bottom board so it sits up off the surface you're working on by about an inch. Set the edge of a 1-by-10-inch back board against the 1-by-8 inch bottom at a 90 degree angle and tack the back to the bottom with rust resistant nails or deck screws at both ends and in the middle.
2. Make the sides by sitting a 10-inch long piece of 1-by-10-inch upright on the bottom board against the back board. Mark the height of the back (a bit over 8 inches) and the width of the bottom (about 8 inches). Measure 10 inches at a right angle to the back at the top of the side and draw a line from that point diagonally down and back to the end of the bottom of the side. Cut two of these trapezoids, set them in from each end by about an inch and tack them to the back of the box with 4-penny nails.
3. Lay the 1-by-10-inch face board across the front against the side pieces. Trim the front edge of the bottom board with a router, planer or sandpaper so the face board sits flat against the sides and bottom, overlapping on the bottom about an inch like the back board does. Mark the top of the board to match the top of the sides and remove the extra (one to 1.5 inches) from the top. Plane the top of the face board so it's flat with the sides. Tack the front to the sides and bottom of the box. Then work around the front and back of the box, using nails or screws every four to six inches to attach the front and back to the bottom and sides of the box. Sand all of the edges and corners. Oil, stain or paint, depending on the type of wood used.
4. Mount your window box with "L" brackets or wood brackets. "Shim" brackets with 1-by-4 or 2-by-4 trimmed to fit the back of the bracket and attached to the siding under the window (use a cement drill and bolts to attach them to brick or stucco). Drill holes every six to eight inches along the bottom of the wood box for drainage before mounting under the window.
5. Fill a plastic planter or other liner (disposable wallpaper dip-boxes work well) with soil less mixture (it's lighter than soil) and plant with annuals or herbs. Be sure that the liner has drainage holes, too. Set it on a couple of blocks of scrap so the plastic does not sit directly on the wood box bottom. Using a liner keeps the moisture away from the wood and makes planting and fall cleanup easier.
Tags: about inch, back board, back bottom, bottom board, face board, board against, board sits
