How to Grow Plants in Hanging Baskets

They tend to dry out quickly because they are up in the air. Water evaporates from them quickly, so adding water holding crystals will help keep the soil moist. A sheltered place out of the wind is best for hanging baskets.

How to Site a Hanging Basket

Take care in choosing the site and the height for a hanging basket or people may bang their heads on it. Hang it in sun or shade to suit whatever plants are growing in it. If growing more than one kind of plant in the same basket, make sure they all like the same conditions.

A row of hanging baskets along the edge of a balcony or veranda will look more visually pleasing if there is one up and one down all the way along. Or if you have three, they can be staggered like steps to form a cascade of flowers.

Hanging baskets do well dangling from a tree that throws dappled shade. They too, will look better if all at different heights. Make sure the planters are hung either above head height or below eye level for safety.

To plant a hanging basket you’ll need:

• A hanging basket made from wire.
• A rope, macramé string or wire to hang it up with.
• A strong hook to drive into the veranda post.
• Liner made from tea-tree bark or other material to form a base.
• Potting mix or seed raising mix if you are going to plant seeds.
• Plants or seeds of your choice.
• Slow-release fertilizer.
• Liquid fertilizer
• Gardening gloves.

Method

• Get everything together ready. It is wise to use gardening gloves when handling potting mix.
• Decide on the site for the hanging basket and screw the fitting up to make a strong hanger.
• Line the basket and fill it with potting mix or seed raising mixture.
• Leave 2cm (1in) between the top of the basket and the top of the soil.
• Commercial seed raising mix may be damp already. If not water it thoroughly before planting the seeds. Let it drain a while.
• Sprinkle the seeds over the top then cover them with more seed raising mix to the depth stated on the packet.
• Seedlings should be spaced evenly around the edges – about 2 cm (1in) in – with the largest one in the middle.
• If the site chosen is a sunny one, the plants or seeds will need shade until established. This can be achieved by pegging some paper or cloth over one side.
• Hang the pot up, being careful not to drop it all.

Plants Suitable for a Hanging Basket

Choose flowers with pendulous or drooping foliage rather than erect or upright growth. Then they will spill over the edges of the hanging basket and come down to eye level.

Nolana is a purple-blue flower that is an easy flower to grow from seed and looks wonderful in a hanging basket. The soil should be kept moist until germination and afterwards as Nolana love moist conditions.

Nasturtiums are great for hanging baskets as the long stems fall over the edges; choose those with variegated leaves for extra interest. The leaves are pale green with cream splotches.

Coleus also has magnificent red, pink, creams and green colours in its leaves which are much prettier than the tiny flowers. The flowers should be pinched out to keep the plant growing.

Fuchsias look pretty in a hanging basket, but be sure to get the small variety, not the tree fuchsia.

Petunias, pansies and violas are all good choices for a hanging basket as they are small plants.

Ivy has no flowers, but the pretty leaves will trail over the edge of the basket and help hide the wire.

Hint: Hanging baskets dry out more quickly than other pots, so a sheltered position out of the wind is best.