From air purification to stress reduction, houseplants provide the sort of health benefits that New Yorkers are often in short supply of. But NYC abodes are not exactly known for spacious gardens, and houseplants can often take up precious square-footage.
Enter the window box: the simple solution for apartment dwellers that gardeners Ryan Benoit and Chantal Aida Gordon have taken in an array of imaginative directions with their book, “How to Window Box.”
The husband-and-wife team (who also founded gardening blog The Horticult) have curated 16 diverse window box themes in their book, each with a step-by-step guide. From herb gardens to jungles, woodlands to beach dunes, these contemporary living dioramas are the cool, modern cousins of your grandma’s version.
“A window box is an opportunity to flex your arranging skills,” Gordon says, “and also really get to know a category of plants.” For the fairweather green-thumb, making it personal is key, she says. “Having a window box that reflects your personality will make you more likely to actually take care of it.”
When quizzed on how plants might best handle life in NYC, Benoit told us that “plants are going to do best when they can see the sky.” He also suggested keeping a tropical window box in a humid spot, like the bathroom. As for the one tip for not killing a plant? Go easy on the water!
Whether positioned indoors or out, a window box is a great option for creating your own little urban Eden.
