15 Gorgeous Flowering Window Box Ideas for Spring

Nothing announces that it's spring like flowers. And a window box is the perfect place to display them. Window boxes are a simple but effective way to add visual interest to your home. You don't need many plants to fill them, yet they still make a substantial impact. Plus, you can enjoy them both outdoors and from inside the window.

When considering spring window box ideas, it's key to choose flowers that bloom early in the season, as well as plants that are suitable for the growing conditions around your window. For instance, if your window gets strong afternoon sun, make sure to choose plants that love lots of light. Pay attention to the last chance of frost and freezing temperatures in your USDA hardiness growing zone.

Here are 15 spring window box ideas to spark your imagination.

01 of 15

Calla Lily Combo

Spencer Means / Flickr / CC By 2.0

Yellow, white, purple, and green send a colorful message that spring has arrived. The flowers in this window box pop against the black wood shutters. In the back are yellow calla lilies while fluffy yellow and white hydrangeas inhabit most of the box. Spilling over the sides and front are tiny white bacopa flowers. The different heights of the plants are visually appealing, and they help to fill out the box. These plants should start blooming in the late spring, and they must have evenly moist soil.

Continue to 2 of 15 below
02 of 15

Rich Colors

Spencer Means / Flickr / CC By 2.0

Spring doesn't have to be all about pastel colors. Many beautiful flower box ideas use stunning deep colors. This lush window box includes variegated coleus, million bells (a cousin of petunias that produces smaller flowers), vinca, and asparagus fern. Both the million bells and vinca have long bloom periods, often from spring until fall frost. So this design should stay attractive for the whole growing season. A window box with this plant combination should be protected from the strong afternoon sun.

Continue to 3 of 15 below
03 of 15

Sunny Daffodils

ballycroy / Getty Images

A perk of planting just one kind of bulb, such as daffodils, in your window box is they all bloom at the same time, putting on a magnificent show. Daffodils bloom in the early spring, and the bulbs are quite easy to grow in containers. Just make sure you select a flower box that is fairly deep and has good drainage, as daffodil roots like to stretch downward and they dislike soggy soil.

Continue to 4 of 15 below
04 of 15

Petunia Party

Rick Ligthelm / Flickr / CC By 2.0

A mass of petunias in bright purples, pinks, and yellows overflows this window box. There are myriad options within the petunia genus, including single and double blooms; smooth and ruffled petals; and striped, veined, and solid colors. There are even petunias with mounding or cascading growth habits, as well as some with fragrance. So you can tailor your box exactly to your preferences. Deadhead the flowers to encourage further blooming.

Continue to 5 of 15 below
05 of 15

Green and White Simplicity

Spencer Means / Flickr / CC By 2.0

Plants with white flowers, including petunias, begonias, Angelonia angustifolia "Archangel White," and sweet alyssum are arranged symmetrically in this window box. They provide contrast with the black shutters and white-painted brick house with white wood trim, yet they still feel soft and natural. The light chartreuse foliage is Angelina stonecrop. Waiting to flower in the center is a spring-blooming bulb—likely Ornithogalum, or Star of Bethlehem. Make sure a flower box like this has adequate soil drainage.

Continue to 6 of 15 below
06 of 15

Box of Plenty

Michael Sprauge / Flickr / CC By 2.0

Subscribing to the "more is more" theory, this window box celebrates spring with just about everything blooming that will fit in the box. It includes pansies, geraniums, and snapdragons. A window box like this is great if you don't already have foundation plants under your window. That way, the mass of plants in the box won't feel too busy. The pansies and snapdragons will stop blooming in the heat of summer, but you might get a repeat bloom in the fall, while the geraniums tend to bloom all season. So it could be worth leaving all the plants in place for the growing season.

Continue to 7 of 15 below
07 of 15

White With Purple Pops

Eric Gross / Flickr / CC By 2.0

In this window box idea, spilling white bacopa is paired with dusty miller, daisy-like fleabane, and purple million bells. The combination creates a wide, spreading box that will grow fuller as spring progresses. The purple and white color palette keeps things simple but still spring-like. And it looks especially nice against a medium blue house. These plants flower best in full sun, so make sure your box gets plenty of light.

Continue to 8 of 15 below
08 of 15

Spring Succulents

The Spruce / Lisa Hallett Taylor

A variety of succulents packed into a window box in the fall will continue to grow throughout the winter. By early spring, they will look their best, with some varieties producing flowers. Succulents in this box include kalanchoe (felt plant), pink echeveria, crassula, and pencil cactus. These succulents can be grown as houseplants, so you can keep your window box indoors until your weather is warm enough for the plants.

Continue to 9 of 15 below
09 of 15

Pretty in Pink

Garden Photo World / Georgianna Lane / Getty Images

There are many hydrangea varieties to choose from. And these fluffy bright pink ones are the perfect pop of color to welcome warmer weather. Hydrangeas are easy to mix with some simple green foliage plants for a stunning window box look. Be sure to select a variety that starts blooming in the spring, as many hydrangeas are summer bloomers. And if you live in a cool climate, watch out for an unseasonably late spring frost, which can kill the flower buds. If frost is predicted, bring your window box indoors for the night, or cover it with a sheet.

Continue to 10 of 15 below
10 of 15

Tulip Tier

Botanical Blitz

Tulips are a quintessential spring flower. Botanical Blitz strategically placed these bright red tulips to stand tall at the back of a window box, while dark purple heliotropes grow at the front of the box. What's great about this combination is it's easy to swap the tulips once they're done blooming for some summer-blooming flowers. The heliotropes can stay in place, as they often bloom until frost. Deadheading will help the heliotropes produce more blooms.

Continue to 11 of 15 below
11 of 15

Tulips in Spring Colors

The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

Tulips come in a wide array of colors except for a true blue. To welcome spring, try grouping a few different tulip varieties in various bright and pastel shades in a window box. Depending on the variety, tulips will reach roughly 1 to 2 feet high, and their flower shape can even differ. So you can mix and match to bring lots of visual interest to your window box. Space your tulip bulbs roughly 2 to 5 inches apart when planting.

Continue to 12 of 15 below
12 of 15

Easter Lilies

Nao Okawa / Flickr / CC By 2.0

Two Easter lily plants, with their trumpet-shaped blooms, rise above the English ivy and pink hyacinths in this early spring planter. Both the Easter lilies and hyacinth grow from bulbs, and they can easily be replaced with summer flowers after they're done blooming. The English ivy should stay attractive throughout the growing season, though it should be protected from the strong sun in the hot summer months.

Continue to 13 of 15 below
13 of 15

Pale Petunias

Nitsan Merchav / Getty Images

You can go with the brightly colored petunias for an eye-catching window box idea. Or you can select some of the more pale and pastel varieties, which are colors more commonly associated with springtime. The pale varieties are especially ideal in a window box if their backdrop—either your house or shutters (or both)—is a bold color. That way, you won't have any issues with too many or clashing colors. Petunias don't like dry or soggy soil, so be sure to provide an even amount of moisture.

Continue to 14 of 15 below
14 of 15

Bushel of Begonias

Konoplytska / Getty Images

There are several types of begonias. Some have a trailing habit, which would look beautiful spilling over the edge of a flower box. And others are more compact with a mounded growth habit. Begonias are planted in the spring after the threat of frost has passed, and they typically start to bloom in June. Their flowers will continue to grace your window box until fall frost, making this an easy window box to put together with lots of payoffs. Deadhead begonias throughout the season for further blooming.

Continue to 15 of 15 below
15 of 15

Box of Million Bells

The Spruce / Autumn Wood

Plant million bells in the spring, and it will bloom nonstop from spring to frost. This plant has a trailing habit and will gently spill over the sides of a window box. It has dense growth, so it won't look spindly in its trailing form. Even better, it doesn't need deadheading to continue blooming. And it's known to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Placing your window box in full sun is best, as too much shade can limit flowering.