Give window boxes fall flair

Let's face it. Window boxes once overflowing with color and texture are looking weary. Instead of lamenting their passing with the season, think of it as an opportunity for change and renewal.

Begin by taking stock of existing plants. Does the window box need a complete replanting or will some simple renovation suffice? Healthy and vigorous plants can remain; leggy and bedraggled plants should go.

The heliotrope and cosmos might be ready for the compost pile, but the snapdragons and dianthus, revived by cooler temperatures, may be showing a new round of foliage and flowers. Petunias, marigolds and geraniums hang on well into fall, as do cold-tolerant herbs like parsley and thyme. Licorice plants will be just as happy draping their fuzzy, gray leaves over the edges in fall as they were in summer.

Many plants will have passed their prime. Use a knife to cut around these. Gently remove them trying not to disturb the roots of their healthy neighbors.

Next choose cool-weather loving replacements. Pansies and mums are obvious choices. Pansies delight in fall's cooler temperatures. Their cheerful blooms brighten up window boxes with long lasting color. Mums are the quintessential flowers of autumn. They combine well with pansies and other cool-season annuals. Both pansies and mums are available in a wide range of colors.

Ornamental cabbage and kale contribute appealing texture to window boxes. Rounded or frilly blue-green or purple leaves with white, pink or red tones are perfect partners for pansies. As the temperatures drop, the color of ornamental cabbage and kale intensifies. By the end of October, their foliage is stunning.

Calibrachoa, commonly called million bells, and alyssum relish cooler temperatures, too. Dusty miller boasts silvery-gray leaves, mixing well with any flower or foliage color.

If purple fountain grass was a performer in the window box's summer show, let it remain for a second act. Its burgundy leaves turn tawny brown after frost and it keeps its form. Leave it throughout the winter, too, when evergreen branches can be added to complete a winter design.

Perennials should also be considered for inclusion in window boxes. Sedums parade their clusters of star-shaped flowers over rounded, gray-green foliage in September and October. Small perennial grasses offer fine texture while softening the edges of boxes. Leadwort, with its bright blue flowers, contrasts beautifully with the orange blooms of marigolds, mums or pansies. There are several varieties of coral bells with foliage in autumnal shades, each one just as lovely as the next.

Look to other parts of the garden for further inspiration. Gourds and small pumpkins, Indian corn and broom corn, pine cones and other seedpods, and branches and vines can all be incorporated in a window box design. Gourds with rounded necks hang over edges; the seeded tops of broom corn create a harvest look; bittersweet vine, bejeweled with orange and red berries, adds a unique touch; and branches of curly willow or birch offer structure.

Including natural items give window boxes a unique, designer look. Many garden centers offer fine selections of these items; look to your own garden for others.

Seize the opportunity for change. Renovate or replant your window boxes, and enjoy the flowers and foliage of fall.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.