Or to please the palate, a little mint, lemon verbena and scented geraniums could be planted at the level of a kitchen-sink window. But window boxes don't have to be for harvest or the human nose. Window boxes are just plain wonderful for their looks alone. They soften the hard planes of a house. They help make a house a home.
Geraniums are the Germanic choice, but there are so many more plants suitable for window boxes.
You can pick a favorite or go with a mixed planting that resembles an untamed English cottage garden. Colors can be coordinated with a house. Soft pink impatiens or petunias flatter stern gray-stone walls. Some garden designers hold that grouping one flower color makes more of a visual impact than mixing flower colors. But window-box builders should be allowed to please themselves.