What are Garden Windows?
For anyone with a green thumb, a garden window is a great way to bring the outdoors inside. Offering great lighting and a cozy nook for your house plants, a garden window might just be a perfect option for your next home improvement project. We'll tell you more about this style and its pros and cons in this post.
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What are Garden Windows?
Similar to bay windows and bow windows, a garden window protrudes outward from the wall of your home. A garden window acts almost like a mini-greenhouse as well as a window, with a three-dimensional glass structure and an extended, shelf-like sill for your plants.
Garden windows let in a lot of light and provide a space for indoor gardening in all seasons. They're especially popular in cooler climates, and may have one or more built-in shelves for plants.
A garden window can be installed in any room of the home, but they are most common in kitchens. You'll often see them above the sink where plants and herbs can be watered then set aside.
Pros and Cons of Garden Windows
Garden windows are great for certain people and certain homes, but they're not for everyone. The pros and cons list below gives you a good introduction to some of the benefits and drawbacks. Consider these points before you make your final decision on garden windows.
Pro: A Great Place for Your Plants
Anybody who loves plants and gardening can get great enjoyment out of a garden window. It offers a perfect place to give your seedlings an early start in winter. It's also a prime spot for a little herb garden, especially in the kitchen, where you can harvest as you need for cooking.
Pro: Excellent Lighting
Garden Windows let in an abundance of natural light, which of course is one of the reasons they're so good for house plants. But you might also enjoy that lighting yourself; a garden window can really add vibrancy to a dim room, plus you get to showcase your plants.
Pro: The Greenhouse Effect
Just like a real greenhouse, a garden window transforms the sun's energy into real solar heat gain. It can make any room it's installed in noticeably warmer during the cooler months, and you may notice a significant reduction in heating costs as a result.
Con: Difficult to Install
Garden windows can buckle and sag over time if they aren't installed correctly. They also need to be perfectly installed so that they don't have air leaks. These windows should only be installed by a reputable window professional with garden window installation experience.
Con: Accessibility
In many of the places where garden windows are installed, like above a kitchen sink, they can be a little hard to access. That can make cleaning the window a challenging ordeal, and watering the plants can become a bit of a chore.
Con: Potentially an Obstacle
Garden windows extend outward from your home's outer wall, and they can be potentially hazardous in high-traffic areas. Avoid installing one over a busy walkway, or near a part of your yard where children often play.
Who Sells Garden Windows?
Garden windows are less common than hung windows, sliding windows, and casement windows, but there should be at least one company in your area that can provide them. The only company we're familiar with that sells garden windows in North Texas is Simonton Windows.
Check out our related articles to learn more about window styles and more.
- Brennan
- Published
- February 09, 2021
- Updated
- January 06, 2023
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