January 2021 - 40

vaughn's view
BY VAUGHN FLETCHER
Novelty Window
Box Planters
Window Box #3
These unique and innovative combinations incorporated creative design,
interesting textures and intense colors.
Vaughn Fletcher
is president of
Fletcher Consulting.
He has been in the
horticulture industry
since 1971, working in
many areas including
landscaping, garden
center and greenhouse
production, greenhouse
and nursery sales and
sales management.
He can be reached at
vfletcher9@gmail.com.
I
have been attending the Mast Young Plants annual trial
in Michigan for over 15 years and have incorporated
many of their new varieties in my trial articles. This is an
extensive trial incorporating trials beds, hanging baskets, deco
pots, saddle planters and window planters. I want to highlight
and focus on window planters that have been a part of the trial
since its inception.
This is the most extensive window box trial I have seen in all
my years of trial evaluations. The components of these planters
include genera and varieties from multiple breeding companies,
and Mast offers many of them in their liner program. This gives
the Mast team team the opportunity to display and trial many
diverse accent plants in their creative designs, incorporating
and combining multiple components.
The use of window boxes or planters may have begun with the
Romans, but throughout history we see the utilization of window
boxes for growing herbs, food, medicinals and ornamental
plants. In the current marketplace, we see many different
styles of window or porch planters including wire frames, terra
cotta, wood, wrought iron and many different colors. They
offer practicality and functionality in many urban settings
where space is limited, and provide consumers with utility and
aesthetics. The window planters in the Mast trial are mostly
40 JANUARY 2021 GPNMAG.COM
36 inches long and were planted as liners directly into the
garden week 24. The soil mix is Berger BM6, and the planters
were fed twice a day during July and August with 17-5-17.
I am highlighting planters that comprised assorted
components and demonstrated the attributes of texture, color,
form and uniqueness when I visited in mid-August. There may
be plants that I list that are not visible in the planter, and that is
because they did not have the vigor to compete with the other
components later in the summer. I hope you will find inspiration
from these planters and glean design ideas for the spring
season. Since these planters were created by the Mast team and
incorporate assorted varieties from many breeders, they are
listed only by number, and that's how I will refer to them.
WINDOW BOX #3
Components: Coleus 'Campfire', coleus 'Great Falls Niagara',
alternanthera 'Little Ruby' and Muehlenbeckia axillaris Creeping
Wire Vine
This design manifests the upright habit and striking coppery
orange leaf color of coleus 'Campfire' from Ball Floraplant. This
upright variety is complemented by the trailing coleus 'Great
Falls Niagara' from Dümmen Orange, which exhibits bright
bicolor leaves and is an outstanding filler for partial shade or
http://www.GPNMAG.COM
January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021
