Lockdown Day 36: Create a window sill garden with these tips

I live in a Mumbai house and do not have the luxury of creating a beautiful terrace garden. Can you suggest alternative plant arrangements that I can create in the house or in my window sill. Also, I would like to recycle my containers. – Sunita Nair, Thane, Mumbai

Horticulturist Dhanya Nambiar, Hybiscus, Pune recommends:

The modern line of these zinc window boxes create a striking contrast to the architectural features of a period home, and will stay shiny even after long spells of bad weather. Create contrast by planting some wild flowers.

You don’t need a long window box to create a stunning display. A row of individual vases and pots can make a big style statement.

Plant them with the same flowers in different colours and place them equidistant to each other to pull the look together. Try to stick to uneven numbers when grouping objects.

Spring bulbs, such as Daffodils, Tulips, and Hyacinths, are magnificent either massed alone or inter-planted. Choose a sleek, red stone flower pot to offset the bulbs’ colourful heads as they grow, and for a final flourish, decorate with colourfully patterned cocktail sticks.

Choose box plants to create full-on volume. Hardy enough to sit outside all year round, they will grow horizontally and vertically in equal measure, turning your window into a lush, mini-jungle throughout the year.

Combine volume and a sleek pot and the effect is clean but not rigid. When shopping, pick dense plants with glossy foliage. A modern saucer, plus a slab of marble (check stone centers), adds panache.

Palms are the ultimate low-maintenance solution. Choose sleek and similarly shaded ceramic flower pots to offset the plant’s tangle of chaotic leaf growth and create an understated window display.