Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
First, Select a Container
Anything that will hold plants, soil and water with drainage capability can qualify as a hanging basket or container. Usually, hanging baskets are made from some kind of wire. You might want to think twice about using a ceramic container or large clay flower pot unless you have very sturdy hooks and hangers, but wicker baskets, metal or plastic containers, or an unusual, eye-catching castoff, such as an old watering can, can be a “hanging basket.”
Second, Select a Liner for It
For a wire basket, which is more porous than one of a solid material, a piece of plastic cut from a grocery bag with drainage holes poked into it and placed over the liner before adding potting soil will help to lock in the moisture when you water. Coffee filters can also be used.
Three common liner materials are sphagnum moss, landscape fabric and coconut fiber. Available as loose fibers or preformed liners, sphagnum moss has a soft, rustic look but doesn’t always retain moisture well. If you choose loose fibers, they will need to be soaked in a bucket of water and squeezed out in handfuls to form the liner. Preformed liners should last a couple of years.
Landscape fabric works well to hold in soil and moisture and is a good choice if you have a roll on hand. Simply cut a length to fit inside your container. Coconut (coir) fiber liners are available in many sizes and make a favorite type of liner because coir is a renewable resource. These liners should last several years. Soaking the liner in water before planting will help it mold easily into the shape of your container. Adding a coffee filter or plastic liner before adding soil will help to retain moisture.
Third, Select Plants for Your Hanging Basket
Selecting trailing or mounding plants works best because they will fit in the basket and trail over the edge. Adding a few foliage plants will provide color all season when flowering plants aren’t blooming. Read the label on the plants to make sure they are suitable for hanging baskets. Following are some plant suggestions to consider:
- Wishbone flower (Torenia hybrids)
Flowers are in jewel tones of blue, purple and pink as well as white and yellow. Most grow in small mounds. 2-6 inches tall; 8-12 inches wide. Light to full shade.
- Begonia (Begonia hybrids)
Wax and wing begonias can take the sun or shade and flowers last for weeks. Choose from pink, white, red or orange flowers with light or dark green leaves. 6-34 inches tall; 6-24 inches wide.
- Fuchsia (Fuchsia hybrids)
Fuchsias thrive in cool weather and shade. Drooping blooms come in pink, purple, orange, red and white – often with two colors on a single flower. Hummingbirds love them. Select the trailing variety for hanging baskets. 4-24 inches tall and wide.
- Fanflower (Scaevola aemula)
Heat and drought tolerant; blooms all season starting in late spring. Trim if plants get leggy for more compact appearance. 8-12 inches tall; 18-24 inches wide. Does not need deadheading.
- Profusion™ Zinnia (Zinnia hybrids)
Colorful with a mounding habit that’s not too big for a basket. White, orange, apricot or pink flowers. Full sun. 12-18 inches tall and wide.
- Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)
Calming hues of blue, purple or white and an airy texture. Prefers cool temperatures and will fade in summer heat so plant with heat-loving plants that will fill in. Full sun to part shade. 6-14 inches tall; 6-16 inches wide.
- Trailing Burgundy coleus (Plectranthus hybrid)
This cultivar is a trailing coleus and only gets 10-12 inches tall with small leaves. Pair it with other shade-loving trailers such as Begonia boliviensis – a trailing begonia that will add color. Part shade.
- Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas)
Any of the sweet potato vine varieties are great in hanging baskets. Deeply lobed foliate will not get as full, but other varieties can be trimmed back to maintain appearance. Full sun to part shade. 4-16 inches tall; 24-36 inches wide.
- Geranium (Pelargonium hybrids)
Annual geraniums are drought resistant, come in a wide range of colors and offer vibrancy to a basket. Deadheading spurs rebloom. Full sun. 5-24 inches tall and wide.
Petunia (Petunia hybrids) and Calibrachoa
Choose your favorite color and a variety that cascades for season-long color and enjoyment! Full sun will keep them blooming. Deadheading will foster more flowers and a bushier plant. Full sun and frequent fertilizing will keep plants looking their best.
Fourth, Keep Your Hanging Baskets Looking Great All Season
Larger containers provide more room for potting medium and root growth. Planting the sides of your container as well as the top means a pretty view sooner. To plant the sides of a basket, start with a layer of potting soil in the bottom of the basket deep enough to reach the first row of plants being added to the side. Use a screw driver to poke holes in the liner, then slip the plant’s rootball in from the outside. Cover the root balls with potting soil and add another layer of plants. Repeat until the sides of the basket are full, then add plants to the top.
Hanging baskets dry out rapidly and will probably need watering every day. If a basket has dried out completely, remove it and place it in a trug or wheelbarrow full of water to rehydrate the potting mix. Rehang after about an hour. Remember to mix a slow-release fertilizer in the soil at planting time. A liquid plant fertilizer, such as MiracleGro, added to your watering can every 10 days will keep baskets blooming. After a few weeks, your plants may look leggy and need trimming. Most plants can be cut back by a third and will bounce back in a short time. Adding a layer of mulch will help to retain moisture and prevent water from splashing out when you are watering baskets.
If you purchased an already potted hanging basket from a nursery, it has probably been growing since late winter. Removing the plants and re-planting them in a larger basket with fresh soil will reinvigorate them and give roots a chance to spread. Hang your baskets on hooks at eye level or under a roof overhang, or even on a fence. Whether you choose a ready-made hanging basket or plan to create one yourself, some pre-purchase planning, container preparation and conscientious post-planting TLC assure you’ll enjoy your hanging baskets all summer long.
Article Resources: Garden Gate online newsletter; “Types of Hanging Basket Liners” – 5-27-2021; By: Garden Gate staff
Garden Gate online newsletter; “Hanging Basket Hacks” – By: Sherri Ribbey – 7-8-2020
