Traveling Plantswoman: Window Boxes of Boston
My last day in Boston it was raining. Well, being from the northwest why would that stop me. I borrowed an umbrella from the front desk because like most Pacific Northwest people I didn’t bring an umbrella. It only rains in the Northwest right? I went out to investigate window boxes. I remember from my only other trip to Boston the old quarter of town and the wonderful creative window boxes. I found some great ones.
Many of them had what we would consider house plants in them. Golden pothos ivy, boston fern of course, and kachenoe. Combined with some evergreens, huge lush hydrangeas, and tropicals like mandevilla they definitely were outside the box. (hee hee).
Combinations ranged from white,purple, blue, and orange white, bright green purple, and lots of green variegations. Mostly would be in shade because of the tall row house structures. Lots of shutters but they looked to be ornamental now not functional.
Some homes had matching or complementary containers by the front door.
I stopped to talk to the owner of this little flower shop. Rouvalis Flowers. They do a lot of the window boxes in the area. Most are on a four season rotation where they change the boxes out with each season. They also water and maintain them. Her family has owned the shop for a long time. I asked what they do with the left over plants after a change out. She said her friends got lots of cast offs because they don’t have a greenhouse to keep them in or the ability to resell them. Oh to be in that crowd.
I’m not sure I could live in these historical houses although they are lovely. The window boxes are quite literally all the garden they have. Check out my next post for some lovely courtyard gardens that are scattered here and there amongst the houses. There are also beautiful squares that the houses are built around. These serve as a shared garden space for the houses. I wonder if they get used and people get to enjoy the space and the company of their neighbors.
