Window Box Planters For The Neighbors

We have a small tradition in our neighborhood.  When we get a new neighbor, the existing neighbors contribute toward the purchase of a window box planter for the new family. The planter given to us was a cedar box, 36” X 10” X 10” given to us in 1995 and it still sits on the deck today. 

In a change from past years, Bev just filled it with one tomato plant and two basil plants.  I can taste the pesto she’ll make now. Most years it is planted with Cosmos, because they are tall and look pretty in the summer.

Many times we give plants to our mothers on Mother’s Day or plants as get well presents, but how many times do we give window boxes that can be mounted or set on decks and porches.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and materials from vinyl, wood, metal and fiberglass.

We’ve noticed that the terracotta pots on the deck, seem to suffer in the winter even if we are able to bring them to a sheltered part of the deck. We find they split and flake off.  Our friend Carol made us some great pots from rolled clay slabs, but they also have suffered.  I suspect it’s time to repot our plants with different materials.

John's Honey-Do List

Part 2

When John Domingo walked in the kitchen door, Rachel greeted him with a hug and a kiss.  “John, she said, “do you think next week during spring vacation, we can work on the deck?” 

The deck needed to be cleaned and re-stained every couple of years, and Rachel was particularly looking forward to this years cleaning.  A couple of years ago they had hired some Russians, it turned out, to do the job and she hasn’t been happy since.  When it came to selecting the color, John and the Russians agreed on a stain and did so without consulting Rachel.  John thought the color Redwood was the color of the previous stain, but instead it was really red, rather than a goldy-brown that Rachel preferred.  Now, whenever she is peeved at John, she digs down in the sack that wives carry around and reminds him of the Redwood stain he chose, she hates.

John saw right away she wanted to replace the cedar flower boxes the neighbors gave them when they moved in over 15-years ago.  In addition, Rachel wanted to replace the windowbox under the kitchen window with two window boxes.  One she wanted for pretty little flowers that would go with their newly painted house and the other would be great for her herb garden that would be more accessible than the flower beds in the front yard. After surfing online for windowbox planters, he found that they are made from wood, vinyl, metal and fiberglass.  He wondered which she would prefer?  Do you think he should ask her or make the decision himself?