Design

Create an Elegant Hanging Basket

Tips for making big and beautiful hanging containers

By Heather McCain

The first step toward creating a lush, beautiful hanging basket is in choosing your plants. Long-trailing plants such as trailing petunias require only top planting. For short-trailing plants such as ‘Tapien’ purple verbena, plant on the sides of the basket as well as the top for a full-looking floral display. Purchasing healthy plants is essential. I look for plants with several stems, since they will produce prolific growth. Plants in 2-1/2-inch containers are easiest to insert through a wire frame.

Most soil mixes for hanging baskets are peat-based, and can be difficult to moisten after they dry out, so I add some loam- or humus-based potting soil, as well as kelp meal for trace elements. Baskets lose water through evaporation, so closely monitor their moisture level–in hot weather, check baskets daily. Water thoroughly but allow baskets to dry out slightly between waterings. Besides a tablespoon of slow-release fertilizer at planting, I feed trailing petunias—those of the “Supertunia,” “Surfinia,” or “Wave” series—every third watering with a 20-20-20 fertilizer that contains iron. These extra nutrients are needed for voluminous floral displays. In mid-July, I check to see if the slow-release beads have dissolved. If they have, I add one tablespoon more.

To assemble a hanging basket, collect the materials and follow the steps outlined below. For baskets with trailing petunias, skip Steps 3 and 6, and use only six plants.

Materials for a hanging basket

  • Wire-frame basket (16 inches across, 9 to 11 inches deep), plus hanger
  • Wood-fiber liner to fit frame
  • One meter of landscape fabric or burlap (for arid climates only)
  • 8-inch plastic water saucer
  • 51 inches of 1/2-inch clear-vinyl tubing
  • 20 quarts of soil mix (16 quarts of lightweight, hanging-basket soil and 4 quarts of loam- or humus-based potting soil), plus one tablespoon kelp meal
  • 4 quarts of water
  • One tablespoon slow-release, 15-15-15 fertilizer beads
  • Plants in 2-1/2-inch pots: 15 short-trailing plants, such as Bacopa, Brachycome, Fuchsia, Lantana, Lobelia, or Verbena; or six trailing petunias such as “Supertunia,” “Surfina,” or “Wave”
  • Large container for mixing soil
  • Scissors, felt-tip pen, small plastic bags, and glue (optional)
  • To hang from a wall or post: a sturdy bracket with a horizontal bar measuring 12 inches or more
  • To hang overhead: a 1-1/2-inch screw hook, an S hook, and a length of chain

Step 1: Pad the basket’s rim with vinyl tubing to prevent trailing stems from breaking. To do this, cut tubing into lengths to fit between the spaces for the hangers. Slit the tubing lengthwise with scissors, then wrap it around the rim.

Pad basket rim with vinyl
Place a wood-fiber liner in the basket with the dark side facing out.
Step 2: Place a wood-fiber liner in the basket with the dark side facing out. Fold any excess liner material over the rim. Then, place the water saucer inside the basket. Don’t use a saucer for shade baskets in damp climates, since it may keep the basket too wet.
Mark the liner for side-planting of short-trailing plants.
Step 3: Mark the liner for side-planting of short-trailing plants. To designate planting positions, use a felt-tip pen to mark seven dots evenly spaced around the basket about 3 inches from the rim. Cut a cross-shaped slit in the liner about 2 inches by 2 inches at each dot.
Prepare 20 quarts of hanging-basket soil mix and moisten it with 4 quarts of water.
Step 4: Prepare 20 quarts of hanging-basket soil mix and moisten it with 4 quarts of water. Add soil mix to the basket, patting it down firmly but gently until it reaches 3 inches below the rim.
Thoroughly soak the plants by submerging the pots in water until all air bubbles disappear.
Step 5: Thoroughly soak the plants by submerging the pots in water until all air bubbles disappear. This makes them more pliable for planting and helps them get established more quickly.
Insert plants through slits in the liner.
Step 6: Insert plants through slits in the liner. Remove plants from containers, holding them by the root ball to protect the stems. Wrap root balls in small plastic bags to make insertion easier from outside the basket. From inside, pull root balls through so they rest on top of the soil. Remove the bag and anchor the root ball with a handful of soil.
Next, add soil to within an inch of the rim.
Step 7: Next, add soil to within an inch of the rim. Place one plant in the center, and then space the other seven around it, an inch or so from the edge. Firm the soil around the base of each plant. Sprinkle one tablespoon of slow-release fertilizer beads over the soil.
Attach hangers to the rim and hang the basket outside any time after your region's frost-free date.
Step 8: Attach hangers to the rim and hang the basket outside any time after your region’s frost-free date. In hot, dry weather, water it immediately and hang in the shade for a few days. In cool, damp weather, wait until it warms up before watering your basket thoroughly. Firm the soil around the roots of plants on the top layer after the first watering.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Razor-Back Potato/Refuse Hook

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Buy at Amazon

Fiskars Garden Tool Caddy with Removable Small Tool Storage for Indoor and Outdoor Gardening Use, Made with Recycled Plastic

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Fiskars Gardening Tool Caddy stores tools and supplies for easy access and transportation from indoors to out. Body is made of durable, lightweight, resin with 20% post-consumer recycled plastic. Spacious toolbox includes a removable bin with holes for wall mounting and is the perfect organizer for snips, pruners, and more. Handle locks in place for one-handed carrying, or use side handles for two-handed carrying. Lifetime Warranty.
Buy at Amazon

Niteangel Natural Wooden Insect Hotel, Garden Insect House for Ladybugs, lacewings, Butterfly, Bee, Bug

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

The insect nest box provide a safe environment where garden creatures can shelter, hibernate and lay their eggs, the insect house can also keep insects from entering your warm room. The insect hotel makes it easy to find and observe fascinating creatures. the butterfly, bees and ladybugs can use this product as habitat. Dry wood and Bamboo can be home to many insects such as ladybirds and lacewings which eat aphids and help keep your plants pest-free. the insect hotel improve the growth of plants in your yard by attracting beneficial insects. The iron design on the top can keep the insect house from rainwater. Let the insect house have a longer useful life and make the insects more comfortable. If you only have a balcony or yard, the hanging garden shelter is ideal as it provides a choice of suitable habitats in a small area.
Buy at Amazon
X
No comments yet

Comments

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest

Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill

When plants are done in by pests, diseases, or bad weather, it is hard not to take it personally. But on the positive side, each plant that shuffles off this…
Design
Building Community, One Garden at a Time | Letter from the Editor

“Do you know that woman?” I asked John Mathews while in his front garden in Madison, Wisconsin, last year. We had been deep in conversation about a ginkgo when a…
Design
Silphiums: The Giant Native Plants We All Should Be Growing

As a budding horticulturist, my first encounter with prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) was intriguing and puzzling. The sheer size and verticality of the spade-like leaves slicing through grasses and forbs…

Video

View All Videos
Design

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping—not because you’re likely to trip on something, but because you might be dive-bombed by a pair…
Design

4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder's Garden
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage 
How-To

4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard