GARDENING : Blooming Flowers Make the Best Window Dressing

You’ll be the toast of the neighborhood when you dress up your windows with flower-filled window boxes. These small gardens are a dream come true for time-pressured gardeners. Upkeep is easy. All it takes is watering, fertilizing and pinching.

To add flowery focal points to your windows, you’ll need a container, soil, plants and only a small amount of time.

If you’re baffled about which flowers will look good together, just look at a color wheel. Colors opposite each other make an eye-catching display every time.

* In a window garden, plants’ root systems are squeezed into a small space. Using the right soil mix is crucial.

Sunshine mix is a good choice; it has Canadian sphagnum peat moss, a wetting agent and a fertilizer. It is available at lawn and garden centers.

* Choose healthy plants from a reputable nursery. If you want a window garden that’s immediately filled with bursting blooms, buy plants in four-inch pots.

Remember to place taller plants toward the back and center of the container and trailing plants toward the front and sides.

* Water the window garden thoroughly after planting. Frequent watering is critical for continuous blooms.

To display your finished window garden, mount the container with the top edge just below the windowsill.