Window boxes can be difficult to maintain in the winter. For a little something different this fall, try these easy and budget-friendly window boxes – I spotted this one on one of my walks. A simple but colorful ornamental kale is planted in the center, surrounded by bright gourds and multicolored corn. A few strands of vinca trail over the sides to give dimension and softness to the box. And to bring it all together, a raffia bow puts the finishing touch on the harvest theme!

Explore the many varieties of ornamental cabbage and kale at your local garden center. They’ll stay pretty well into winter and will even get more colorful after a few chilly nights.

For the harvest veggies, try your local farmer’s market or pumpkin patch (or even the grocery store). Or, for a perennial treat, you could pick up gourds made of plastic or resin to re-use next year! For the trailing plants, try periwinkle (vinca), ivy, creeping euonymus, or anything else you have on hand in your yard.

Other suggestions include:

• For a larger box, tuck in a few mums or asters for a burst of blooms.
• Add a sheaf of cornstalks for height.
• Don’t forget dried flowers. As you clean up your perennial garden, save some dried cuttings for your window boxes. Yarrow, sedum, black-eyed susans, and crape myrtle all have interesting texture and seed heads.
• Pick kales and cabbages with red and green tones. Then in December you can simply replace the gourds with greenery and berries for the holidays.