Rachel Carroll doesn’t remember making a conscious decision to become like her grandmother.
It happened quietly.
Her grandmother lived in a small house and had a gift for making a home feel special. There were seasonal decorations for every holiday, flowers in the yard, houseplants in the windows and a sense that beauty didn’t require extravagance — just care and intention.
Years later, Carroll realized she had inherited more than memories.
Today, she co-owns the Metro Detroit franchises of WOW Windowboxes with her partner, John Oehler, bringing custom windowboxes, planters and seasonal displays to homes across the region.
But this isn’t Carroll’s first business or even her first career. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she worked in public accounting.
“I really liked the work and the problem solving,” Carroll says. “I just didn’t like sitting at a desk all day.”
Eventually, she launched a residential cleaning business, which she still operates today. The work gave her something accounting couldn’t: movement, connection and the satisfaction of helping people feel better in their homes.
“You show up and someone’s stressed and life is hitting them,” she says. “You leave and they’re happier than they were before.”
That philosophy — making homes feel cared for without creating more work for homeowners — made WOW Windowboxes feel like a natural extension.
For Carroll, the appeal isn’t really gardening in the traditional sense. It’s noticing the details that make people feel at home.
After years working inside homes and neighborhoods, she began paying attention to something unexpected: People who cared deeply about their homes often didn’t have the time, energy or desire to maintain every outdoor detail themselves.
“I started realizing people are busy,” she says. “They want things to feel beautiful, but they don’t necessarily want another thing on their list.”
That observation helped connect the dots.
She says she isn’t necessarily drawn to the brightest, showiest arrangements. Instead, she gravitates toward softer combinations: textured leaves, layered greens and plantings that feel collected rather than overly designed.
She also loves that windowboxes change.
Her favorite season might depend on the month: the first bright pansies pushing through a gray Michigan spring, overflowing summer containers, pumpkins and fall color or winter greens that make a long season feel warmer.
The company itself originated in Cincinnati and has grown into multiple franchises nationwide. Carroll and Oehler operate the Michigan territory, serving Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, with current focus areas including Birmingham, Bloomfield, West Bloomfield and surrounding communities.
Unlike traditional landscaping, WOW Windowboxes centers on custom-built architectural planters and seasonal displays. The process starts with a consultation and measurements. From there, the team custom-builds boxes to fit each home, paints them to match trim, shutters or doors, installs them and connects irrigation.
“We can make almost anything,” Carroll says.
While there are several standard styles, every installation is customized to fit the scale and personality of the home, even stretching up to storefront-length installations when needed.
And if windowboxes aren’t practical?
The company also designs patio containers, railing planters and container gardens for homes with more modern architecture or limited mounting space.
One of the company’s biggest differentiators is irrigation. Carroll says homeowners often begin each season with good intentions, only to find daily watering becomes difficult during vacations, heat waves and busy summer schedules. The built-in watering system keeps plants thriving while allowing excess rainwater to drain naturally. If something goes wrong, the team returns to repair irrigation or replace plants as needed.
Seasonal service is optional and flexible. Spring often begins with frost-tolerant pansies, followed by summer blooms, fall arrangements with pumpkins and decorative accents, and winter greens and holiday décor.
For Carroll, that changing rhythm is part of the appeal.
“I love that things aren’t fixed,” she says. “Nature changes. Seasons change. Your home can change with it.”
Because in the end, she says, windowboxes aren’t really about flowers.
They’re about making a home feel loved.
Rachel Carroll’s Favorite Summer Windowbox Look
Skip the obvious bright blooms and try a softer, layered look:
• Coleus for dramatic color and textured leaves
• Creeping Jenny for trailing greenery
• Shade-loving foliage mixes for a lush, cottage-style feel
• Add seasonal accents to keep displays evolving throughout the year