Types by Style & Region

Box design and planting traditions vary— and so does the placement of the container. In some cities, the wrought- iron cage itself may be the point, while in other areas neighbors compete for the biggest profusion of blooms.

PORCH-RAIL BOXES Boxes seated on top of or hung just below porch rails were common in New England, and still are in quaint places like Nantucket. Boxes also hung on wooden fences.

MASONRY CORBELS A stone or concrete box is meant to rest on those projecting concrete or brick corbels jutting from the front of thousands of brick bungalows around Chicago. Over time, many were ditched as high-maintenance relics. ATOP THE ROOF A bungalow-era built-in: roof cleats that supported a large, heavy box beneath a dormer or balcony. Window boxes also were built into the perimeter of sleeping porches in Southern California and into Prairie School knee walls. UPPER STOREY FIXTURES Popular in Southern cities, wrought-iron box cages recalling French balconettes each support a planted box in season. PORCH APRON OR WALL Archival photos reveal that the “window box” was often fastened into an expanse of wall or, as above, onto the porch apron. Low and accessible, these boxes could be very large, and were stored away in the off season to avoid wood rot.