A well-planted hanging basket will grow into a boule mass of tumbling colour that blooms for months. Since the main plants used are summer bedding plugs, many of which are tender, wait until the weather warms in your area before planting – for most parts of the UK, that will be late April, but you can plant as late as June. In the meantime, begin gathering all the materials you need to create a beautiful summer basket.
Choose a hanging planter
A hanging basket proper is composed of an open frame container (through which plants can grow) suspended from a hook. The classic chain basket is widely available and since, when richly planted, the bulk of the container will be covered by flowers and leaves, it may not be worth splurging on anything more ornate. However, part of the metalwork will always be visible, so you may prefer to select something prettier. Agriframes' Elegance Hanging Basket is a gorgeous take on a traditional basket; but there are also contemporary designs (such as this Teardrop cage) and antique-look planters (such as this wrought-iron French-style basket). If you prefer your baskets to sit on the wall, these metal planters are ideal.
Select a moisture bank
Hanging baskets are always lined with a water-absorbant material – both to stop them drying out and to hold the compost in place. In the past, this was usually moss garnered from an obliging moor, but these days it's not permitted to take moss from the wild because it's such an important plant. Therefore, always take it from your own lawn or purchase sphagnum moss from a sustainable source.
Excellent alternatives to moss include jute and coir (coconut fibre), which many hanging baskets are already lined with when you buy them.
General peat-free multi-purpose compost (such as RocketGro's) is best for hanging baskets and will retain a lot of moisture. There is rarely a need for water-retaining granules as well, unless you plan on going away a lot – if so, you could mix some eco-friendly granules into the compost.
How to plant
WATER your summer bedding plug plants, if need be, and let the water drain.
SIT YOUR BASKET atop a bucket or plant pot to keep it steady, if it doesn't have a flat base.
ARRANGE THE CHAINS of the basket, so that you don't bury them during the planting; check they're not twisted or knotted.
IF USING COIR or jute liner, sit it in the basket, cutting it to shape, if necessary. Then, using a sharp knife, make cross slits in several places in the sides and the base, where your plants will poke through.
IF USING MOSS, place a layer in the base of the basket, around 1 to 2 centimetres thick.
BEGIN PLANTING. Insert plug plants from below, lifting the basket and, carefully, pushing them (roots first) through the holes in your coir (or jute) liner or through your moss. Remember that these bedding plugs will grow a lot, so don't overplant.
ADD COMPOST in a shallow base layer over the plants in the bottom to help secure them. Then, repeat the process, adding more plants through the lower sides and then firming them in with compost. Gradually, move up the basket, pushing plants backwards through the sides and securing with compost, until your compost surface is 1 to 2 centimetres below the top of the basket. Finish planting the top; whereas the plugs in the base and the sides ought to be trailing plants, some of the plants in the top can be non-trailing.
HANG on a secure bracket, choosing a traditional or contemporary style that suits your basket.
Hanging basket maintenance
WATER regularly, especially in hot, dry weather. But, since watering leaches nutrients, avoid overwatering. Shove a finger in the top (as you would a houseplant) to see if the basket needs moisture.
FEED by adding a liquid fertiliser (such as Tomorite) to your watering can every two weeks.
DEADHEAD flowers to maintain a good show. Trim lengths (such as ivy) if they grow too long.
How do you make a hanging basket look modern?
Avoid traditional double-flowered summer bedding (such as multi-petalled begonias) and, instead, opt for single-flowered plants (such as Tagetes 'Tangerine Gem') that help pollinators and have a more contemporary look. Use ivy-leaf and scented-leaf pelargoniums, instead of the classic zonal forms. And consider less obvious plants: anything that trails could be great in a planter – for instance, a mix of blue rock bindweed and Campanula poscharskyana, which tumble beautifully and feed pollinators.
What are the best plants for hanging baskets?
FOR SCENT - Dwarf sweet peas (including 'Pink Cupid') smell incredible amongst trailing aromatic foliage, such as scented-leaf pelargoniums (for example, 'Pink Capricorn') and Indian mint (Satureja douglasii).
FOR WILDLIFE - Some traditional basket bedders are wildlife friendly, including lobelia and trailing vervain. Bumblebees love nasturtiums and butterflies feed on heliotrope.
FOR SHADE - When hanging against a north or east-facing wall, choose a mix of ivies, dwarf hostas, regal pelargoniums, busy lizzies, and fuchsias.
What is the laziest way to plant a hanging basket?
Purchase a coir-lined basket and, instead of making planting holes, simply sow or plant a mass of one or two things in the top. For instance, trailing nasturtiums or geraniums (such as 'April Hamilton'), which will pour over the sides and bloom for months, or just one stunning purple bell vine plant, which will form a waterfall of raspberry and claret.
You could also consider a permanent hanging basket by using long-lived plants, rather than summer bedding plugs. For example, plant two types of ivy or a compact honeysuckle.
How do I plant a no-water hanging basket?
If you're away a lot in summer or too busy to water, consider using succulents. Hailing from arid terrain, they retain moisture in their leathery leaves. Echeverias are excellent summer bedders, but a mix of hardier succulents (including sedums and houseleeks) will create a year-round display in all manner of interesting hanging baskets. Full sun is essential and, in milder parts of the country, your succulent basket will flower.
Other options include prostrate rosemary and creeping thyme, which are robust Mediterranean herbs that should only need watering in prolonged drought. Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) can, likewise, survive on minimal moisture and produces pink and white daisies for months.
