Home » Misc » Hanging basket types

Hanging basket types


Top 10 Hanging Basket Plants

There's nothing quite as captivating as a well-kept entrance flanked by a pair of exuberantly overflowing hanging baskets. Filled with colour, texture and scent, baskets are a great way to brighten up sheds, garages, fences and patios. Once you’ve chosen from the wide range of hanging basket hardware available, it’s really easy to order trays of annual bedding plants and create colourful themed displays. And if you prefer perennials, there are plenty of options for long-lasting interest. 

Here are ten of our favourite hanging basket plants to help you make a real statement:

  1. Begonia x tuberhybrida
  2. Fuchsias
  3. Petunias
  4. Bacopa
  5. Lobelia
  6. Calibrachoa
  7. Geraniums (Pelargoniums)
  8. Osteospermum
  9. Nasturtiums
  10. Verbena

Read on to find out why each of these plants won a place in our coveted top ten, or browse our full range of basket and container annuals for even more choice.

Begonia x tuberhybrida varieties produce huge flowers
Image: Pre-planted Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Apricot Shade Improved' basket from Thompson & Morgan

Begonia x tuberhybrida plants are shade tolerant, so a great basket choice for the darker side of the house. These Begonias produce huge blooms, often with exciting double rows of petals and impressive picotee detailing. Fill your basket with Begonia x tuberhybrida plug plants and hang it under cover for a week or two to allow your plants to establish. These Begonias bloom in any weather throughout summer.

Go for Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-stop Mocca’ for its lovely dark foliage and different coloured blooms or choose Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Majestic Mixed’ for giant double blooms that reach up to 20cm across. 

Garden-ready option: Pre-planted Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Apricot Shade Improved’ basket.

New Fuchsia 'Eruption' is the perfect hanging basket perennial
Image: Fuchsia 'Eruption' from Thompson & Morgan

Fuchsias make fantastic hanging basket plants! In fact, compact trailing varieties display their huge blooms to best advantage from below. Excellent value for money, these semi-hardy perennials provide an extravagant show for many years, provided they’re overwintered in a frost-free place. 

Try Fuchsia Giant-Flowered Collection with blooms up to 10cm across, or Fuchsia ‘Eruption’ for a dramatic blaze of slender, fiery pink flowers from trailing stems. 

Garden-ready option: Pre-planted Fuchsia ‘Trailing Mixed’ basket.

Petunia 'Amore™ Queen of Hearts' flowers throughout the summer
Image: Petunia 'Amore™ Queen of Hearts' from Thompson & Morgan

Petunias have it all - large blooms, a lovely scent, lush foliage and a fantastic mix of trailing and compact habits. With bold block colours and fun picotee flowers, Petunias put on a fantastic show in hanging baskets all throughout the summer. 

Petunia 'Back to Black’ is a new variety with striking, velvety black blooms that reach a height and spread of 30cm. For something brighter, try the extra special Petunia 'Amore™ Queen of Hearts' which features five clear red love hearts against a background of pure yellow.  

Garden-ready option: Pre-planted petunia 'Frills & Spills™ Mixed’ pre-planted basket

Bacopa is a great addition to hanging baskets for softening displays
Image: Bacopa 'Snowtopia' from Thompson & Morgan

Bacopa is a valuable plant in hanging baskets. It’s easy to grow and the flower-covered stems trail down to well over 45cm. These dainty, yet incredibly tough plants are the perfect way to add volume to colour-themed baskets or mixed displays. 

Go for Bacopa 'Baristo® Pink' for delicate pastel pink blooms or Bacopa 'Baristo® Blue' for baby blue. Our favourite for hanging baskets is classic white - Bacopa ‘Snowflake’ can be combined with any other coloured flower or planted alone for an unusual and elegant display.

Lobelia is an impressive annual that produces airy foliage and clouds of delicate flowers in white, pink or blue during the summer months. A great way to fill out mixed baskets, these versatile blooms provide the perfect backdrop to other bedding plants.  

For a dazzling cascade of violet-blue flowers, try Lobelia 'Monsoon'. And for a slightly more compact variety, Lobelia ‘White Lady’ produces pretty white flowers that spread to 20cm, ideal for planting around the edge or underside of a basket.

Calibrachoa Calita 'Million Bells Red' is extremely fast-growing
Image: Calibrachoa 'Million Bells Red' from Thompson & Morgan

These ‘miniature petunias’ are prolific bloomers, producing a long-lasting display in a glorious range of colours. Calibrachoa are vigorous, weather-proof and grow well in sun or shade, making them an ideal choice for trickier parts of the garden. They don't even need dead-heading - they literally look after themselves! 

For a bold hanging basket display, go for Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells Red’ which produces clouds of scarlet flowers. And for a fun kaleidoscope of summer colour, try Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells Mix’ which, as its name suggests, contains a mixture of our popular ‘Million Bells’ series in mauve, yellow, white and pink.  

Geranium 'GeRainbow Mixed' provides a classic combination of complementary coloured blooms
Image: Geranium 'GeRainbow Mixed' from Thompson & Morgan

Geraniums are classic bedding plants for a reason. Drought tolerant and tough, these tender perennials will flower again the following year if protected from frost. Available in a wide range of colours from fiery reds to delicate pastels, the variety of leaf shapes and scents are another reason they’re such a popular choice.

Geranium 'Best Red' F1 Hybrid is an upright variety with eye-catching red blooms that evoke hot Mediterranean summers. For a softer look, try trailing ivy-leaf geranium 'GeRainbow Mixed'. The plants in this mix cascade down to 90cm, showcasing dark green, ivy-shaped leaves and large clusters of flowers from June to October. For something a little different, our geranium 'Rosebud Collection' features thicker double blooms, trailing down to at least 45cm, which open just like miniature rosebuds.

Garden-ready option: pre-planted geranium 'Balcon Mix' basket.

Osteospermum 'Purple Sun' was shortlisted for Chelsea Plant of the Year 2019
Image: Osteospermum 'Purple Sun' from Thompson & Morgan

Naturally drought tolerant, Osteospermums (or African daisies) are tough plants that love sunny, south-facing positions. Forming attractive balls of colour, newer varieties have been bred with a trailing habit, making them ideal for hanging baskets. 

Osteospermum ‘Falling Stars™' is the first cascading African daisy, trailing to 45cm. A mix of three different and vivid colours, these bright blooms have excellent staying power in summer hanging baskets. Reaching a height of 30cm, Osteospermum ‘Purple Sun’ makes another vibrant choice for your baskets. Smothering the dark green foliage from June to October, it’s no surprise that these bright blooms were shortlisted for Chelsea Plant of the Year in 2019. 

Nasturtium 'Troika Spotty Dotty' trails up to 100cm
Image: Nasturtium 'Troika Spotty Dotty' from Thompson & Morgan

If you like to sow your own flower seeds rather than buying plugs or plants, nasturtiums are an excellent choice. From sowing to flowering takes about three months. Although orange is one of the best known colours, nasturtiums come in a wide range of hues from creamy white through to deep maroon. 

For a compact display, go for nasturtium ‘Chameleon'. Not only do the flowers look like exotic orchids, they also change colour every few days! Nasturtium 'Troika Spotty Dotty' and Nasturtium majus 'Orange Troika' both trail down to over 1m long, producing masses of golden yellow and orange blooms with striking red flashes inside. 

Verbena plants produce compact brightly coloured blooms
Image: Verbena 'Quartz Mixed' from Thompson & Morgan

Add Verbena to your hanging baskets for trailing foliage with gorgeous colour. These totally carefree, easy to grow plants provide a stunning mix of shades. Gently spilling over the edge of your basket, they tend to have a more compact growing habit, spreading to about 20-30cm. They also show excellent resistance to mildew.

Go for Verbena 'Quartz Mixed' if you’re looking for a loud mix of bright colours. For something more subtle, or to complement a mixed basket scheme, try the elegant blush pink and white flowers of Verbena ‘Samira Pink Wing’.

How to plant a hanging basket video

This helpful video provides a step-by-step guide to planting up a hanging basket. Get your plants off to the best start by using the right compost, and positioning your plants to show them off to their best. These frequently asked questions provide some good pointers:

Which plants are best for a hanging basket?

Trailing plants like petunias, verbena and calibrachoa are best for planting your hanging basket. They cascade over the basket sides, where their flowers can be easily seen from below.

When can I put my hanging basket outside?

Put your hanging basket outside after the last frost date. This may be early May for those in the South, or late May for gardeners in the far north of the UK.

What should I do with my hanging basket after summer?

After summer, empty your hanging basket of annual plants and dispose of them. Move tender perennial hanging basket displays into a sheltered place to overwinter before the first frosts arrive. With a little luck, they should flower again the following year.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our top ten hanging basket plants. Share your fabulous hanging display with us via Twitter or Instagram, using #MyTMGarden. For even more information and advice, head to our hanging basket hub page.

How to choose the best hanging basket

Your hanging display starts with the right hanging basket. Get the hardware right and you’re onto a winner. Whether you want to brighten up your front entrance, disguise a plain shed or add interest to a contemporary courtyard, hanging baskets are the perfect way to introduce colour and make use of vertical space. Here’s what to look for in a hanging basket along with top tips on which bedding plants to choose for an eye-catching display.

Which hanging basket is right for you?

Wall baskets are a compact way to create a beautiful display
Image: Wall baskets from Suttons

Hanging baskets come in different shapes, sizes and materials. Here are some of the most popular types:

If you choose a suspended hanging basket, remember to get a strong wall bracket to hang it securely.

Watch our ‘how to plant up a hanging basket’ video below for more advice!

The best types of summer bedding for your hanging basket

Choose a fun mix of plant colours and forms for your basket
Image: Starry Eyes Mix from Suttons

Create a spectacular display in your chosen hanging basket with one of our pre-selected collections of colour-themed bedding plants. Curated by professional garden designers, simply choose between boldly contrasting or beautifully complementary coloured schemes to give your front entrance real kerb appeal. Alternatively, if you prefer to design your own, here are some of the things to consider:

For more advice, see our step-by-step guide on how to plant up your hanging basket. And don’t let them sit idle through the colder months. Use our winter hanging basket guide to create an all year round display. If you’re in a hurry, check out our range of pre-planted hanging baskets that are ready to hang on delivery. Go for ‘Fruit Salad’ for peach, blue and white blooms, or ‘Tutti Frutti’ for a spectacular mix.

Lead image: Bumper Basket Collection (36) from Suttons

which one is better to choose and what to plant in it, 19 photos

Hanging baskets are an element of container floriculture, which is becoming more and more popular among our summer residents. You can decorate gazebos, verandas or hang them at the front door of a country house with bright lush flower beds.

Natalya Chebakova

legion-media

To design the right flower garden in a hanging basket, you need to correctly select the basket and plants, as well as provide appropriate care for them. nine0003

Contents of the article

What are hanging baskets

Hanging baskets are special containers for growing decorative flowers. As a rule, they are hung on walls, cornices or railings to give a special style to a suburban area. They produce hanging planters made of plastic, metal or wood. Some gardeners make them themselves from improvised materials - this is also exciting.

Lush bright flower beds in hanging baskets look very original and do not require special care. The main thing is to choose the right plants and arrange the planting so that they delight you with their flowering throughout the summer. nine0003

Rules for designing hanging flower beds

Choosing a pot

For planting plants, it is recommended to choose plastic pots that have solid walls. They are lighter and more durable, water does not leak out of them, and there is also a large selection of shapes and colors. Minus - they do not breathe and do not pass water.

It is also possible to use baskets with holes, which will allow the cultivation of ampelous plants. For such baskets, linings are needed so that the earth does not spill out. nine0003

The weight of the basket is between 5 and 8 kilograms and this must be taken into account when selecting the attachment.

Sphagnum lining

Place a light drainage layer on the bottom of the hanging wicker basket, ideally sphagnum or coconut fibre. Then a regular newspaper is added as a barrier between the moss and compost. This will prevent the soil from falling out initially, and as the paper rots, the roots will sprout and hold the soil in the container.

Soil

For a flower basket, choose a light and nutritious soil mixture that will fully absorb moisture. The soil can be bought ready-made or prepared independently from peat, humus and sand. The presence of a small amount of inorganic substances in the substrate is also important, it can be vermiculite or perlite.

Watering

Because plants in hanging baskets are in limited space, they need to be watered regularly. The thinner and smaller the pot, the more often you need to moisten the soil. In summer, about 1-2 times a day. nine0003

But you need to pay attention to the weather conditions. For example, in hot weather, the earth dries up a lot. Watering should be done in the morning and evening. If once a day, then it is better in the evening, because at night the moisture does not evaporate, and the flowers manage to absorb it as much as possible.

Top dressing

Plants in baskets need frequent top dressing with complex mineral fertilizers. 1 st. l. without a top, fertilizers are diluted in a liter of water and watered the soil in a flower garden. You need to do this about once a week. nine0003

Pruning

To prolong flowering, experienced gardeners recommend removing faded buds in a timely manner. It is equally important to do shaping pruning so that the crops grow beautiful greenery of the correct form.

Plants

The type of plant for the hanging basket is also very important. Since not all flowers can tolerate such growing conditions.

What to plant in a hanging basket

Plants can be planted individually, or they can be used to create colorful studies. Upright flowers are planted in the center, and ampelous ones along the edges, which will hang down, forming incredible compositions. nine0003

Fuchsia

Fuchsia hybrida is most often grown in hanging baskets. This plant has long thin shoots and oval green leaves with pointed tips. The flowers are simple or double in various colors. Blooms profusely and for a long time. Unpretentious in care.

Garden geranium

Beautiful lush compact shrub - is a herbaceous perennial. The height of the plant is varied: there are both undersized and tall species. The leaves are dense, carved, lacy. There are various sizes and shapes. The buds of the plant reach a diameter of up to 5 cm, red, white, pink, and purple. They exude a pleasant aroma. nine0003

Begonia

There are many hybrid varieties of begonia that are grown in pots and used for landscaping. For hanging flowerpots, an ampelous begonia variety is chosen. The plant resembles a bush, on which small flowers of different colors are scattered. Lush flowering ends in late autumn.

Alyssum

Annual low-growing plants with semi-woody shoots. This annual begins to bloom from the first summer month and continues until late autumn with many white, pink or purple flowers. The flowers of the plant emit a pleasant smell with a honey note, which attracts bees and other insects beneficial to plants. nine0003

Petunia

Annual flowers are very good for growing in hanging baskets. A huge selection of petunia varieties makes it easy to create colorful mosaics that bloom profusely from May until the first frost

Creeping ivy

An evergreen climbing plant known for its flowers and common in gardens around the world. The flowers are very small, but the plant itself is famous for its vibrant green color and ability to climb just about anywhere, making them ideal for hanging baskets. nine0003

Immortelle

A perennial herbaceous plant quite widespread in landscape design and floristry. Its stems branch strongly and form a beautiful openwork crown. The flowers are tubular in shape, yellow or light orange in different shades.

Pansies

Wittrock violet or pansies is a perennial plant grown as a biennial or annual. The flowers are large, solitary, from 4 to 10 cm in diameter, of various colors, often tricolor. Wittrock violet hybrids are widely used for container and pot growing. By choosing the right varieties, you can achieve flowering violets in the garden from the beginning of spring to the end of summer. nine0003

Lobelia

Herbaceous plant that blooms in the shade. It is distinguished by abundant and bright flowering, which lasts the entire summer period until the first frost. The flowers are bright - white, blue, purple, pink, lilac. Lobelia is often used in hanging baskets.

Pelargonium

Herbaceous evergreen subshrubs with a rather spectacular appearance and pleasant aroma. The stems can be creeping, straight or branched, the leaves can be simple, dissected or palmate, the flowers in umbrella inflorescences can be of any size, shape and shade. Pelargonium blooms from spring to autumn. nine0003

youtube

Click and watch

Do you like flower gardens in hanging baskets?

hanging flower baskets

Hello. Dear fellow gardeners!

Hanging flower baskets can decorate doors and walls, I think they are so spectacular that no other garden decoration can compare with them. Just don't forget. that it takes a lot of time to water and trim the plants so that the composition does not lose its beautiful appearance. nine0003

Well, now to the point.

The wire baskets allow plants to be planted both from above and from the sides. As the flowers grow, they completely hide the basket, which is very beautiful, but in such baskets a waterproof liner is needed, otherwise the potting mix will dry out quickly. Of the wire baskets , wire baskets are the most popular.

They used to be made of anodized or lacquered wire to prevent rust, now plastic coated wire is available. The diameter of such baskets is 25-45 cm, but a basket with a diameter of about 35 cm is better.

Wooden box made of slats is decorative in itself, such a box is easy to make yourself from hardwood. A liner is required, usually sphagnum or brown plastic wrap.

Solid wall baskets do not require a liner, they are easier to fill with soil than lattice baskets, in many models there is a tray for self-watering or collecting water. But flowers cannot be planted on the side surface of such baskets, and therefore the effect of a flower ball is more difficult to achieve. A basket with solid walls is actually an ordinary flower pot or bowl. Until the plants grow and hide partially or completely plastic or terracotta walls, it looks rather dull. You need to choose such baskets that make up a single whole with the pallet or the pallet is attached to the container with clamps. nine0003

Self-watering basket is a gardener's lifesaver. It will not be necessary to water the plants every day, once every 1-2 weeks is enough. The principle is that there is a water tank at the base of the basket and a capillary bedding under the soil. Such a bedding is constantly wetted with water from the tank.

Fiber basket is just a deep pot suspended on three chains. It looks more natural than plastic baskets, but it does not have a pallet and is not illogical.

nine0178 filling the basket and planting plants in it

If a basket with waterproof walls , then it is not difficult to fill it, just close the drainage hole, if any, with shards and pour soil.

Soil for hanging baskets is best prepared or bought on a peat basis, it is lighter, but it must not be overdried, then it does not absorb water well and the plants, after about a couple of months, will need top dressing. At the bottom of fiber baskets and self-irrigating baskets it is not necessary to lay the sherds.

If you decide to use the wire basket , place it in a bucket or large pot so that it does not tip over, then line the inside with an insert. To do this, it is good to use sphagnum moss in combination with plastic wrap. The bottom and walls of the basket are lined with moss 1.5-2 cm thick, a film spreads over it. the edges of which are cut flush with the edges of the basket. A saucer is placed at the bottom: it will press down the film and collect excess moisture. nine0003

Then fill the basket halfway with moist soil prepared from fertile garden soil. Compact it and make 3-5 holes in the foil at the level of the soil surface. In these holes, plant one seedling of a falling plant so that its roots lie on the surface of the soil, and the top sticks out.

Now begins the step common to both wire baskets and baskets with watertight walls. Fill soil almost to the edges of the basket. Plant an upright plant in the middle, and flow down along the edges. Compact the soil around the roots. From the surface of the soil to the edge of the basket there should be a distance of 2.5 cm for watering. nine0003

Plants should be watered carefully after planting. Plants should be allowed to settle down and accustomed to the conditions of their subsequent habitation before they are taken outside. Removal of faded flowers. pruning. so that they do not grow, watering, top dressing, it can be applied in solid form to the soil during planting.

hanging basket plants

Usually the basket is planted with some kind of flower beds, in late May - early June they are taken out into the street. A compact upright plant is planted in the center and falling along the perimeter, which can also be planted in slots on the walls of the fiber basket. nine0003

The most popular flowers for summer arrangements are pelargonium, fuchsia, lobelia, touchy and begonia. You can try scaevola, diascia, Surfinia petunia and Sabata bindweed. Hardy plants such as gelksina, netcreasia, tolmia, dwarf ficus or indoor tomato varieties (for example. "Tumbler @ or" Tiny Tin), strawberries ("Alexandra" and "Aromel") will look rather unusual in a hanging basket. Hyssop, chives - onions, parsley, thyme, tarragon also grow well in containers. nine0003

Non-traditional plants are suitable for those who like to experiment. For ordinary gardeners, flowerbed plants are more interesting. And for shady places, the choice of plants is quite small, these are sponge, touchy, ivy, erica and begonia.

Color matching options for hanging containers :

you can take one kind of plant of one or several varieties, for example it can be touchy;

or traditional set with upright and drooping plants with leaves of various shapes and with flowers of various shapes and colors; nine0003

looks very impressive bright spot of one color. i.e., you can plant a plant of the same variety in the basket;

if this option seems boring, and the traditional set of flower beds is too bright, then you can pick up plants painted in close colors, for example, from pale pink to purple.

Learn more