10 Of The Best Plants For Hanging Baskets

You could have a vibrant display in your garden this summer by using hanging baskets and unless you have them professionally made up, the cost is relatively small. For real impact, do as the experts do and colour co-ordinate your baskets.

Choose a colour scheme, for instance yellow and white, blue and white or for a flamboyant feel, red and yellow. There are blooms in wonderful hues of the same colour that may be combined to give you an understated look. Also, try having the whole basket filled with only one type of plant and in one colour; it is extremely effective.

Here we look at 10 of the best plants to use in your hanging baskets that not only look good but are easy to look after.

Begonia

Considered by some to be the queen of the summer baskets, Begonia Pendula produces masses of trailing stems that bear flowers in a dazzling range of colours.

Impatiens ‘Busy Lizzies’

If you have a hanging basket that doesn’t get a great deal of sun, Impatiens is the perfect choice. They will transform a shady area and virtually glow. At the end of the season, transplant into a pot for your windowsill indoors.

Fuchsia

Fuchsias are at the top most peoples list of favourite plants. Use the trailing varieties for baskets and pinch out any dead flowers for a continuous display up until the first frosts. The colours range from white through to deep purple and often have two or three colours on a single bloom.

Geraniums (Pelargonium)

With its vivid flowers in purple, red, pink and white, the geranium is known by all and used as a bedding plant. The trailing varieties are used predominantly in hanging baskets with the ivy leaf pelargonium the most popular. These produce long pendulous stems bearing vivid flowers including spot and stripe patterns.

Lobelia

Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, the lobelia is usually used as a filler plant. However, if you fill a basket with lobelia only  the effect is almost jewel like. The colours are white, pink, red and all shades of blue.

Petunia

No matter what colour of petunia you use together they always seem to co-ordinate. The new hybrid varieties can have flowers being double, single, frilly or striped but try to use weather resistant varieties. Quite often, the larger, ‘blowsy’ blooms look really sorry for themselves after heavy rain.

Pansy (Viola)

Pansies, with their multi-coloured faces, have been popular since the 1860’s. They come in a huge range of colours and all will flower their socks off as long as you remove the spent flowers and never allow seeds to develop. Recently, trailing varieties have been introduced that look superb in hanging baskets.

Clematis

Although we are used to seeing clematis climbing up a support, these plants are now being seen in hanging baskets. Plant breeders have produced varieties that are short stemmed and trail beautifully, just at the right height to view the flowers close up.

Campanula

With their delicate flowers, the campanula – also known as the bellflower – tumbles over the edge of its container in a colourful mat. It is a perennial that will flower year after year. Cut back the stems in late winter and in the spring you will see lots of new growth.

Ivy

Although mostly used as a backdrop for the more colourful flowers in a basket, the ivy on its own can look equally effective. It needs very little looking after and will continue to give you a display throughout the winter.

Published April 9th, 2015 by Jordan. Article ref 3736

Tags: begonia, busy lizzies, campanula, clematis, fuchsia, geraniums, ivy, lobelia, pansy, petunia

« How To Make A Hanging Basket | How To Grow Potatoes In Containers »