How to plant a hanging basket
Try these tips to create stunning hanging baskets
Planting a hanging basket is one of the more creative and satisfying gardening projects in spring. It can be as simple as planting a single, fast- growing plant like a Proven Winners’ Supertunia in a small hanging basket, or as complicated as adding a host of plants including numerous fillers, spillers and thrillers that combine to create a breathtaking hanging basket.
In our primarily shaded woodland garden, six hanging baskets play a vital role in providing much-needed colour in the garden. In fact, the combination of hanging baskets and containers placed throughout the garden are, at times, the only real colour brightening up our woodland.
Hanging baskets don’t have to be complicated. Using a single species can be an effective way to add colour to the garden. Here, three varieties of Supertunia create a cohesive look with a low maintenance approach.
The importance, therefore, of getting them right can be the difference in enjoying a colourful garden from spring through fall, or learning to appreciate the textures and varying greens so often associated with a shade or woodland garden.
There are basically three types of hanging baskets: steel baskets lined with a coco mat, plastic pots and peat-based pots. The plastic and peat planters are most often the ones purchased at nurseries already planted up. The peat based planters offer the benefit of looking good even before the flowers have spilled over the container, while the plastic container work well to retain water during the hottest days of the summer.
The steel baskets with coco mats are most definitely the most aesthetic of the group, but because water drains so freely from them, keeping them properly watered can be tricky requiring you to water them twice a day in the summer.
If you are planting your own, chances are you are using the steel planters with coco mats.
For more on container planting check out my story on creating container and hanging baskets for hummingbirds.
Consider your conditions
It’s important to establish the light conditions your planters will be in before you begin planning your containers.
While full sun in a hot dry climate like those experienced in Arizona is different from full sun in the Pacific northwest, the same general principles can apply. The difference is the time of day the plants are in the sun. In hot dry areas, provide the required sun primarily in the morning when it is not as hot. In the high humidity areas of the coastal areas or around the Great Lakes region where humidity can be extremely high that sun can be provided in the hotter parts of the day in the afternoon.
Rule of thumb is that full-sun plants need a minimum of six- to eight-hours of sun to do well and produce an abundance of flowers. Part sun, part shade want 4-6 hours of sunlight and full shade want 4 hours or less of sun to perform well and not have their foliage get scorched by the sun.
Hanging baskets are a great way to add a pop of colour to your patio, but don’t be afraid to hang them from tree branches farther out in the garden.
Size matters when it comes to containers
The next consideration is the size of your container. The larger 17-18-inch containers will retain a lot more moisture than the more traditional 14-inch containers which need to be watered several times a day during the heat of the summer. It’s always a good idea to add a perforated plastic liner inside the smaller containers to help it hold water longer. I use a a green garbage bag cut up to get the job done.
Start with new potting soil
It all starts with an excellent mix of fresh new potting soil, not garden soil. Be sure to completely clean out your old soil and coco mat and use all fresh soil and mat rather than simply topping up last year’s soil.
It’s no secret that keeping hanging baskets properly watered, let alone keeping them from drying out between waterings, is the biggest challenge most of us face. Water retaining granules may look like a simple solution, but they have their own inherent problems. While many garden nurseries advertise soil with built-in water granules that help hold moisture in the soil, the jury is still out whether these polymer-based granules are good for the environment. It’s probably better not to add these granules to your soil or purchase soil with these water-retaining granules already included.
Adding a slow release granular fertilizer to the soil gives the plants a good start and provides the fertilizer at the roots of the plants where they need it most to get a good start. You can top up the slow release fertilizer every six to eight weeks in addition to the weekly fertilizing with a water soluble fertilizer.
Although not a hanging basket, our window box features many of the plants that also work in a hanging basket, including Lemon Coral sedum, Supertunias, Superbells and coleus.
Getting started with your planter
Insert the coco mat into the basket and add potting soil until it is about one inch lower than the lip of the container. The number of plants to use depends on the size of the basket. The rule of thumb is that for a 14-inch basket you should use three to five plants (depending on the type of plant you are using.
For a 15- to 18-inch basket you should use between 5 and 7 plants.
When you are adding the plants, ensure that they are not root bound from the nursery. If they are, you can break up the roots a little before planting them.
Once they are in place, tamp the soil down around the plants to remove any air pockets, and water them in well.
By adding favourite plants such as these cuphea plants, you can attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your hanging baskets.
Let’s talk plants for hanging baskets
Let’s face it, preparing the pot is easy, choosing the plants for your containers can be the difficult part. Throughout this article I refer to specific plant names that are often associated with Proven Winners’ plants. Similar plant varieties are available from other sources, however I have had only positive results from Proven Winners’ products. Finding their plants, however, is not always the easiest of tasks. You can order directly from the Proven Winners’ website in the United States and Canada.
The options are too numerous to list here, but if you are planting several hanging baskets, don’t be afraid to experiment a little and have some fun. Last year, for example, I planted up a couple of containers and planters with hummingbird in mind so that I could photograph them at more or less eye level as they worked the hanging basket right near my favourite sitting spot.
To be successful, however, we need to first think about where our containers are going to be placed – in sun, shade or a combination of the two.
The other consideration is the amount of maintenance the plants require. Just keeping the containers well watered can be enough, having to go around and deadhead the spent flowers is only going to add to the maintenance. And, if it’s not done regularly, will result in a messy looking unkept basket that is too easy to give up on early in the year.
Plants like Proven Winners’ Supertunias and Superbells are excellent because they are self-cleaning, easy and fast growers. I have also found them to be good for attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators from native bees to butterflies.
Also look for lower-maintainenance plants that can stand up to drying out a little between waterings.
Adding Cuphea to your hanging baskets will attract hummingbirds to your hanging baskets.
Some sun loving plants to consider
• Petunias are available in a wide range of colours. Not all are created equal. Some stay small, while others grow fast into large plants that spill over the sides of your basket in short order. Supertunia Vista are the ones I always look for to plant in my containers and hanging baskets. Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is a favourite for its never-ending pink blooms. The Vista series grows huge whether they are in a basket or planted in the landscape. One supertunia vista in a 14-inch basket is often enough to fill out the basket beautifully all on its own. Make sure not to plant it with smaller, slower growing plants because chances are it will soon overpower that plant and bury it beneath its flowers.
• Calibracoa or Superbells are another favourite. They are also available in a variety of colours and can stand up to drier conditions for short periods of time.
• Trailing verbenas are exquisite plants that help make up the spiller component in your baskets. These can be the main plant in your container or compete with the likes of Supertunia Vista plantings.
• Lantana are heat-loving annuals that do well in dry conditions often found in our containers. They will not compete with the most vigorous of plants, and do not spill out quite like the Supertunias and Superbells, but they will perform nicely as colourful fillers in the container.
• Geraniums are classic container plants and excellent to use as your thriller. They can, however, get quite large and require some dead heading so you might want to think twice before using them in smaller containers or hanging baskets.
• Lobelias make for lovely fillers adding a delicate touch to a basket planted with less aggressive plants that allow these smaller plants to stand out. They make a nice accent plant but prefer cooler less intense sun than some of the other plants mentioned above.
• Lemon coral sedum is a great foliage plant that adds a chartreuse, lemony-yellow accent to containers.
• Potato vines in both black and green provide beautiful foliage accents to containers and baskets as they trail to the ground. They do require a little more care to ensure they get consistent moisture and do not dry out. Pairing them with plants like Calibracoa that like to dry out between waterings might not be the ideal situation for either plant. Always try to match plants with similar water needs in your containers.
•Euphorbias adds a delicate cloud-like effect to any container filling in areas around the crown of the basket or container.
• Alyssum has come a long way from the time your parents used them along a pathway. Today’s plants grow much larger and can be used as spillers or trailers in containers. The purple variety are exceptionally popular to add a pop of color.
Three strong foliage trailers for sun and shade to consider
• Creeping Jenny is another trailer that adds a hit of chartreuse to the baskets as they reach for the ground.
• Dichondrea Silver Falls is an icy blue plant that can take dry conditions and continue to perform well.
• Licorice vine (Helichrysum petiolare) is good to use in varying lighting conditions as it can take both full sun and shade. The Black Heart variety is particularly good for shady conditions.
Plants that do better in shade (4 hours of sun a day)
• Coleus is the ideal shade loving plant that depends only on its foliage for its striking look. Available in a host of colours, this is a must for the shade container. Coleus can grow quite large so you may want to look for smaller varieties. Chocolate Drop is a coleus with smaller leaves that trail and can act as both a filler and thriller in a smaller basket where it is not overwhelmed by large, more aggressive plants.
• Torenia or wishbone flower is a short plant with numerous flowers that can work well in baskets.
• Browalia is a popular choice, available in both blues and whites
• Begonias are an excellent choice. Trailing Begonias add a lot of colour and foliage interest. They are available in several varieties from trailing plants that can work as spillers to more upright varieties that work as thrillers. Look for varieties with outstanding foliage to add more interest to the container.
• Impatiens are not just for the landscape. Many varieties are available including some with interesting foliage.
• Heucharas or coral bells use foliage to add texture.
• Ferns can act as an ideal thriller for the summer and then planted into the garden in the fall if you choose a hardy version. Maidenhair fern may be perfect for a smaller shade container. If you are using ferns, ensure sure that the surrounding plants can handle the moisture levels ferns require.
• Trailing ivy works as a trailer. Look for an ivy with variegated foliage to add interest to your shade container.
If this leaves you totally confused, you can simply go to Proven Winners’ website and click on Garden Ideas. Use the filters to specify your requirements and tap into their valuable recommendations. You can follow their recommendations exactly or choose to experiment a little with plants that might be more your style or provide wildlife with a more sustainable source of food.
Author Profile: Vic MacBournie is a former journalist and author/owner of the award-winning website Ferns & Feathers. He writes about his woodland wildlife garden that he has created over the past 25 years and enjoys sharing his garden photography with readers.