Ideas for a front window planter

[dixie_grace]

Ok... I'm in a predicament. I have a small 3'x7' rectangle of dirt in front of my livingroom window and it needs to be filled. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can plant there as far as bushes, shrubs or plants. It is covered by an overhang. I live in sunny, hot, south florida so I need something that can stand heat and rain. Furthermore, I manage to kill anything I plant so I need something low maintenance. As far as matching the yard, it's simple. I have one large ficus tree by the road, and 4 palm trees spotted throughout the yard, and I believe it's a Chinese fan about 9' in front of the rectangle of dirt. Directly in front of the dirt is the walkway up to the house.

[Newt]

Hi Grace,

You don't say what the sun conditions are. Full sun is 6 hours or more, part sun is 4 to 6 hours, part shade is2 to 4 hours of sun and shade is 2 hours or less. Another consideration is how high can these plants grow without blocking the window?

I'm thinking you are in hardiness zone 10. Do you want something evergreen? Also consider the colors of your house when selecting the flower colors. I'm guessing you need something under 4' tall, so here's some ideas depending on the sun, height and colors you need. For such a small area I would select one plant that is evergreen and has a long period of bloom. These are all small evergreen shrubs so you won't have to prune them to make them fit. Add a couple of bags of compost to the planter and mix it in before you plant.

Heliotropium arborsecens - common heliotrope and it's fragrant. https://www.floridata.com/ref/H/heli_arb.cfm
https://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A513

Itea virginica - Virginia sweetspire has dwarf varieties if you need it shorter and it's fragrant. Two of the Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' will fill your planter but you must water frequently the first year. There's an even smaller one - Itea virginica 'Little Sprite'. Some sites have these listed to zone 9 and some to zone 10 so try and buy locally.
https://www.floridata.com/ref/I/itea_vir.cfm
https://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=D590
https://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=X340

Justicia brandegeeana - shrimp plant
https://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A522
https://www.floridata.com/ref/J/just_bra.cfm

Justicia spp. - Brazilian plume - many different ones and colors. Do read this site and select carefully if you like this one.
https://www.floridata.com/ref/J/just_spp.cfm

That should get you started. You can always get info on any plants that anyone suggests at google. Best to use the botanical names.

Newt