City condos often lack room for a full garden, or even a small backyard. There are box and kit solutions, sure, but these creative alternatives preserve your views and limited sill space while providing green growth and unique outdoor connections.

Magnetic Two-Piece Window Pot

Starting with the simplest: consider pair of two half-pots designed by Kyung-Eun Oh and joined by an invisible magnetic connection – one for the inside of windows and one for the outside, one colored white (typical plastic for indoors) and one a reddish brown (typical ceramic for outdoors).

Modular Rope-and-Pulley Herb Garden

Shooting for something that adds more than decor? Rows upon rows of herbs can be planted in this more intensive option by Barreau & Charbonnet, able to be raised or lowered to optimize around rain and sun.

Rotating Two-Faced Planter Sill

While the previous example might pose challenges during extreme weather (storms and so forth), this system by Junkyung Kim & Yonggu Do allows you to keep a solid window in place but choose which side you want your plants to be on.

Hanging Gutter Garden DIY Project

Need something a little less conceptual and a tad easier to build? For the weekend do-it-yourself project, try this NestInStyle gutter garden composed of simple materials like PVC piping, chain link or metal wire rope.

Fresh Tips & Ideas from Window Farms

Still want something DIY-style, but perhaps of an intermediate or advanced level? WindowFarms collects and distributes information, tips and examples of great window gardens and related technologies.

Suspended Upside-Down Ceiling Pots

So you want to fill up some non-window space with greenery, but lack the shelves or spare square footage on the floor for the task? A retention disk keeps soil in place as you hang these minimalist black-or-white pots (so-called Skyplanters) by Boskke from ceilings above (or the tops of window frames, if so inclined).

Urban Gardening Condos Grow from the Ground Up

Finally, a bit of inspiration for those with the luxury of starting from scratch – this houses by Ryue Nishizawa and Vo Trong Nghia include window-oriented greenery from start to finish, creating light and privacy filters via organic green screens that wrap their respective facades.