- The Top 10 Plants for an Eye-Catching Fall Hanging Basket
- Sedge ornamental (Carex)
- Heuchera coral bells
- Heaths and Heathers (Erica or Calluna)
- Mums, or Chrysanthemums
- Antirrhinum, or Snapdragon
- Verbena (Verbena)
Which hanging plants grow well in the fall?
For hanging baskets, it can be challenging to find fall-themed cascading flower species, but beautiful sweet potatoes are a great alternative. Closely related to the common sweet potato, ornamental sweet potatoes are cultivated for their vibrant foliage rather than for providing vegetables. From a light green to a deep purple with a magenta stem, ornamental sweet potatoes can come in a variety of colors. We favor the darker variety’s deeper shade for hanging baskets in the fall.
Since ornamental sweet potatoes are considered annuals, they will wither in colder climates. When it is in the low 50s outside, you should bring your plant inside to prolong its life. After the last frost in the spring, move the plant back outside.
Dianthus
Don’t be fooled by the dianthus’ delicate appearance; despite its hardiness, it can tolerate cold weather, making it a wonderful accent to your fall hanging basket. Dianthus are available in a range of hues, including salmon, white, yellow, red, and pink. Their distinctive blue-grey foliage creates a lovely contrast to the blossoms.
Dianthus can survive minor frosts, but it won’t survive the winter in places that have repeated harsh freezes.
Ornamental Pepper
Decorate your fall hanging basket with ornamental peppers in vibrant colors! The fruit of the ornamental pepper grows straight up above the foliage like a flower, making it another vegetable bred for appearance over flavor. These plants enhance your outdoor fall décor with brilliant yellows, reds, and magentas. As the season progresses, the fruit and leaves on some types will change color, adding a surprise aspect!
Ornamental pepper growth will sluggish and eventually cease as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop. Fruit from the plant will last until the first frost. Bring your decorative pepper inside and position it close to a sunny window if you want to overwinter it.
Chrysanthemums
You can count on seeing chrysanthemums take over your neighborhood garden centers when September rolls around. The chrysanthemum is one of the most spectacular and cold-resistant flowers known for its profusion of vibrant blossoms. Chrysanthemums come in a wide range of hues, but for autumn hanging basket arrangements, we tend to favor the warm harvest hues of yellow, orange, deep red, and bronze.
In zones 5 through 9 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s hardiness chart, established chrysanthemums can survive the winter outdoors. Bring your potted chrysanthemums inside and keep them in a cool, well-lit area if you reside outside those zones.
Snapdragon
The snapdragon is a striking addition to any fall hanging basket since cool weather helps to intensify its flowers. Although we opted for a light salmon shade to complement our autumnal tones, snapdragons are available in almost every color (except blue). As they grow rather tall, snapdragons should be planted near the back or middle of your hanging basket. For hanging baskets, are you looking for cascading flowers? Asarina procumbens, a trailing variety of Snapdragon, may be found at your neighborhood garden center.
With nighttime lows in the 40s and daytime highs in the 60s, snapdragons thrive well into October in most places.
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Similar to what you would find in a vegetable garden, ornamental cabbage and kale are developed for texture and color rather than flavor. Near the center, the layers of their ruffled leaves change color from deep green to purple, pink, and even white. They make a stunning fall plant for hanging baskets because their deep jewel tones sharpen with cool temperatures.
In the majority of U.S. Hardiness zones, ornamental cabbage and kale frequently survive the winter because of their ability to endure temperatures below freezing.
Dusty Miller
Dusty miller makes up for its lack of blossoms with texture, pattern, and color. A beautiful greeting to the cooler months, its silvery leaves and complex foliage appear to be wrapped in a layer of ice. A terrific approach to add contrast and interest to your hanging basket design is to pair dusty miller with a more showy plant.
In USDA plant hardiness zones 8–10, dusty miller can withstand frost and even endure winters.
Pansies
The pansy is a great option to offer a flash of color in the Fall because it is a favorite cold-weather plant of many gardeners. Try pairing pansies with less flashy plants, like dusty miller and ornamental kale, to add texture and interest to your arrangement. Pansies come in a wide variety of vibrant colors and patterns.
Pansies are perennials in the majority of U.S. Hardiness zones because they can endure temperatures well below zero.
Get Planting!
The hues of summer might still be present if hanging basket arrangements are moved to protected outside locations, where they might benefit from a microclimate of winter sun and wind protection. Check out a few of the aforementioned combos to see how long you can make it last!
What kinds of hanging plants are suitable for the fall and winter?
At first, selecting the ideal plants for winter hanging baskets could cause some skepticism. Because of this, we frequently associate them with summery traits. But when the weather turns chilly and other flowers start to wilt, a colorful cold-season display is the ideal way to perk up your yard.
In fact, it could be argued that winter-themed hanging basket designs are a little more intriguing than those for warmer months. With a little extra consideration and investigation, you might discover plants that yield examples with striking forms, amazing leaves, or excellent textures, in addition to flowers and color. All of this is appreciated during the potentially leaner winter months when there aren’t many other things to see.
Positioning winter displays high has additional advantages. The staff at Squire’s Garden Centres explains that using hanging baskets is a terrific method to get past any limitations that soil or sunshine may have placed on your garden (opens in new tab). In essence, you can use whatever amount of soil and compost, and you can put them wherever growing your desired crop will be most successful. Additionally, they add, “they can accommodate a range of different plants and offer protection against slugs.” Additionally, they are excellent for small plots with limited floor space.
Feeling the urge to claim your own? We’ve chosen some of the top plants for your winter hanging baskets so you can make a festive and vibrant arrangement. There will be a wide variety to choose from, some of which will be recognizable and others may surprise.
In the winter, what can you grow in hanging baskets?
You might think it’s unusual to talk about hanging baskets towards the end of the summer. However, winter bedding adds color and a little happiness to everyone’s lives during a gloomy season, and hanging baskets are more common outside doors than garden containers. What therefore must you learn and do in order to establish a hanging basket that will last you through the winter and spring?
A basket and liner
Wicker ones are frequently offered for sale and are fairly attractive. You may also try a metal frame that has been lined with moss or a hanging basket liner so you can put trailing plants through it and have them grow all over the basket rather than just in the top.
Your liner and a piece of polythene, like an old carrier bag with holes punched in it, should be used to line the basket. This will increase water retention without causing the basket to become flooded.
Compost or growing medium
Although a loam-based compost (like John Innes) won’t dry up as soon, multipurpose compost is excellent for hanging baskets. Compost can be purchased from suppliers in both little and large quantities. Add some water-retention crystals and a slow-release plant fertilizer to the compost, and thoroughly mix them in.
Suitable plants
Plants like pansies, violas, thymes, ivies, small cyclamen, and primroses are appropriate for winter hanging baskets. You can also underplant with crocus, dwarf iris, or Tete-a-Tete daffodils. Include some trailing plants so that they can grow from the sides or flow over the basket’s edges. Even if the violas and pansies are having a hard time surviving the winter, the evergreen thymes and ivies add color, and as soon as the sun comes out, the spring flowers break forth.
Planting up your basket
Avoid overfilling your hanging basket because the plants require room for soil to thrive. It’s sufficient to place four or five plants at the top of a wicker basket and five to ten bulbs underneath. If there are any more, your plants will suffer. Of course, you can add more plants if your basket is larger.
Caring for your basket
Even in the dead of winter, you might need to water a hanging basket, especially if it’s on a porch where it will get some protection, or possibly a climber by the entrance. Although you generally won’t need to water every day, it would be best to do so at least once every week. Your winter hanging basket might last well into the following summer with a little bit of care and attention if you remember to remove dead flowerheads to promote longer blossoming as well.
Since 2007, we have been creating and supplying high-quality compost and topsoil products.
Our screening and blending facility operates indoors, ensuring that your topsoil and compost are low in moisture throughout the year. As a result, you are just paying for high-quality compost and topsoil.
What kinds of flowers make nice fall hanging baskets?
Although the peak of the flowering season may have passed, fall hanging baskets are all about deep hues, striking textures, and long-lasting toughness.
Elevate the Fall Celebrations
Beautiful fall hanging baskets almost double all the benefits of growing hanging baskets through the spring and summer.
Although the gardens have been put to bed, hanging baskets can still be used to add decoration and structure until fall. Some might even survive the winter in warm climates.
Planning and planting your preferred fall-planted spring-blooming bulbs, as well as the best fall-planted perennials, will result in a lovely fall hanging basket.
Perennials that bloom in the fall can serve as a theme or source of color inspiration for stunning matched fall hanging baskets.
Bringing The Outdoors In
A hanging basket can hang out inside till the skies clear, even if the landscape and gardens are covered in frost or are being tormented by icy winds and low temperatures.
Re-invent, Recharge, or Reuse Hanging Baskets
A fall hanging basket can accommodate all new plants inspired by the season by putting them into an existing hanging basket due to their reduced development and requirement. Simply add more potting soil.
An old hanging basket with a few plants in it can still look amazing. You can get rid of summer beauties that have been admired in the past. Keep a beautiful fall hanging basket by adding a few seasonal favorites.
Of course, brand-new hanging baskets filled with brand-new potting soil are a terrific place to start when creating a stunning fall display.
Are hanging baskets winter-proof?
If the winters aren’t too cold where you live, hanging baskets can survive the season. Tropical and temperate locations do not experience cold temperatures that would destroy plants.
However, you should bring them inside if you live somewhere where it often drops below freezing or is very close to it.
You should find out what your local wintertime average temperature is. Find out when the temperature drops below 0C (32.0F) and bring the plants indoors.
On several of the major weather websites, you can keep an eye on the forecasted temperature.
In order to determine when to be more cautious, you need also look up the annual average temperature.
Hanging baskets are frequently placed in greenhouses. You might not be able to accommodate every hanging basket you have, depending on how many you have.
Can you use pansies in hanging baskets?
More attention must be paid to hanging baskets than to other container plants. In comparison to floor or garden container gardens, air circulates throughout the entire planter and speeds up drying. A lovely plant to use in hanging planters is pansies. This annual plant prefers full light and temperatures about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. To keep the planter looking healthy and lovely, hanging pansies need to be planted and maintained properly.
In September, what may I put in a hanging basket?
5. Pick three to four distinct plants. A plant in the center adds height, and the outside plants droop over the sides of the basket.
To start, you can save time by placing the hanging basket inside a plant pot while you’re putting it together. Make careful you line the basket’s interior with a liner. There are many options for liners; moss has a natural appearance, while felt is simple to use and will also appear quite natural. Make three cuts in the liner that are spaced evenly around the basket, each measuring about 2 cm across, at the soil level, then fill the basket with a shallow layer (2.5 cm) of hanging basket compost.
Choose some trailing plants for hanging baskets to put on the sides of your autumn hanging basket, such as trailing winter pansies, violas, etc., and then push the plant root through the hole you just made.
Compost should be added until the basket is two thirds full, then it should be compacted tightly. The basket will hold water better as a result. In the spaces between the last layer of plants, make three more slits in the liner, and insert three more fall hanging basket plants. Fill in the top of the basket with a final layer of compost and fill it with upright autumn bedding plants or dwarf evergreens for interest throughout the winter.
You can even plant a few bulbs that flower early, like crocus or daffodil tete a tete.
Over the coming weeks, water the plants liberally but gently, and make sure the compost doesn’t dry out.
Feed your baskets after six weeks, then repeat every two weeks. Finally, to encourage new flowers, treat your baskets like little gardens and deadhead frequently.
What month do hanging baskets get planted?
Utilizing all of your available space is made possible by hanging baskets, containers, and Flower PouchesTM. With the use of hanging baskets and Flower PouchesTM, you can add color to those challenging shaded regions as well as liven up a sunny wall with the correct plants. And keep in mind that size IS crucial when picking out your hanging baskets! The spread and height of the display increase in proportion to the size of the basket. Go to our hanging basket hub page for more details.
Use high-quality compost wherever feasible because plants growing in small spaces require the greatest possible start.
Select the proper plants for your baskets; not all plants work well. Make sure to choose plants with aroma and long flowering kinds by carefully reading the product material.
Before bringing your baskets outside once the risk of frost has passed, plant your baskets in April to give the plants time to develop.
For an avalanche of color to grow, side planting is necessary. This is challenging for any basket smaller than 38 cm (15 in). The finest hanging basket for side planting is the new 14″ Easy Fill model that is highlighted. Avoid buying cheaper, smaller baskets since they may dry up quickly in the heat.
Incredibloom and Swell GelTM should always be added to the compost since plants are constantly very hungry and thirsty.
It’s crucial to have two sets so you don’t have to wait for your summer baskets to complete blooming before planting up your winter baskets. This way, you may have interesting baskets all year long.
The plant can concentrate all of its energy on developing stronger roots by removing all of the first blossoms and pinching the shoot tips. This will result in thousands of flowers throughout the lengthy season.
Throughout the season, water frequently, and be extra careful in hot weather.
By topping off your baskets with Incredible Bloom, you can avoid fiddling with liquid feeds.
For a beautiful basket to flourish and last the season, regular upkeep is necessary. When the plants begin to look unruly, deadheading and trimming will promote many more flowers.