What Trailing Plants For Hanging Baskets

Calibrachoa (million bells)
Lobelia.
Bacopa.
Fuchsia.
Begonia.
Verbena.
Petunia.
Tomatoes.

Which plants grow best in hanging baskets?

Image: Thompson & Morgan’s Nurseryman’s Choice Hanging Basket Mixed Collection

Nothing is more alluring than a tidy entrance flanked by two exuberantly overflowing hanging baskets. Baskets are a wonderful way to spruce up sheds, garages, fences, and patios since they are full of color, texture, and aroma. It’s really simple to order trays of annual bedding plants and make vibrant themed displays once you’ve made your selection from the large range of hanging basket hardware that’s readily accessible. There are also many choices for perennials, which provide interest over an extended period of time.

In order to help you make a real impression, here are some of our favorite hanging basket plants:

Which trailing plant is best?

Ideal for a sunny bathroom or other warm, humid location

pothos in gold. Epipremnum aureum ‘Njoy’ or golden pothos
Phlox with heart-shaped leaves. Heart-leaf philodendron, Philodendron scandens ‘Micans’ with orchid cactus (Disocactus) in the background.
The orchid cactus. Cactus with orchids in a hanging pot.
silk pothos
Plant with red herringbones

What trailing plants are suitable for pots?

You have a ton of wonderful alternatives when it comes to flowering trailing plants for window boxes, baskets, and pots. Here is my pick for the top trailing flowers for container arrangements.

Trailing Fuchsia

Fuchsia plants, a favorite of many gardeners, feature lovely bell-shaped flowers that nod from the stalks and endure the entire summer. A trailing variety will fill a hanging basket or pot with color and froth. You’ll also be able to take pleasure in some motion because the flowers will sway in the breeze.

Trailing Lobelia

Trailing lobelia is one of the nicest hanging basket plants, and I adore putting it in containers. The plant will bloom for months, and the small flowers are ideal for softening edges. Additionally, you don’t have to deadhead it. It contrasts nicely with plants that have larger blossoms or blends well with plants that have trailing foliage.

Despite the fact that lobelia is also available as an erect plant, make sure to get the trailing type.

Trailing petunia (Calibrachoa)

Choose trailing petunias if you want a plant that is simple to grow and produces lots of flowers (also known as Calibrachoa or million bells). These easy-going annuals may provide months of interest, and if you enjoy the notion of changing things up a little, there are some gorgeous patterned and double types available.

Trailing pelargoniums

Did you know that trailing geraniums (also known as pelargoniums) are available to purchase? They are a popular plant for pots and baskets.

These are also known as ivy-leafed trailing geraniums and come in pink, purple, red, and white hues. Use them to give a splash of color to a mixed arrangement or mix them with regular geraniums for a more modern appearance.

Trailing Begonias

Begonias are another another perennial favorite for pots, and the trailing kinds are very helpful for enhancing your displays. There are several colors available as well.

Black eyed susan vine

A lesser-known but nevertheless excellent trailing plant for hanging baskets and pots is the black-eyed Susan, or Thunbergia alata. Although it can climb, it will also be content to flow over the edge of containers. Larger containers are ideal because of the size of the flowers. It can be grown in a conservatory or a warm, protected area of the garden because it is native to east Africa.

Trailing Verbena

Plants that produce verbena produce an abundance of blooms on lush foliage and are dependable and uncomplicated. For adding heft to your pots and gladly filling in any gaps, use trailing verbena.

Trailing Pansies

A trailing pansy type will provide you all the advantages of these resilient, colorful plants with the added cascading effect. Pansies are a staple plant for winter and spring pots. A well-liked combination of trailing pansies called “Cool Wave” features shades of yellow, purple, and white.

How do you fill a hanging basket with trailing plants?

top advice

To keep the hanging basket steady, place it on top of a broad, short pot.
To assist retain water, place a circle of polythene at the base.
The trailing plants’ root balls should be wrapped in paper before being inserted through the holes.
Put a tiny plastic container towards the basket’s center so it can serve as a watering reservoir.

Can you use trailing plants in hanging baskets?

For hanging baskets, use the best trailing plants to produce a romantic, cascading appearance.

When choosing which plants to add in a hanging basket, trailing plants are among the greatest options since they draw attention away from the plants and toward the edge of the container.

As they spill over the sides of the baskets and provide interest to the vertical space, they are also fantastic cottage garden ideas.

One of the three essential components of a hanging basket design—the thriller, spiller, and filler—includes trailing plants. Plants that “spill” out over the sides of a hanging basket, as well as statement-making “thriller” plants and more subdued “filler variety,” are necessary for its success.

However, trailing plants can be used alone to make a gorgeously straightforward hanging basket.

In how many plants should a hanging basket be filled?

We’ve put together a table of our most popular bedding plants, including geraniums, petunias, begonias, and fuchsias, illustrating the quantities you’ll need for the greatest presentation because it can be challenging to determine how many plants to use per hanging basket or container.

Plant spacing

You don’t have to adhere to the standard plant spacing guidelines when deciding how many plants to place in a hanging basket or a pot. The typical spacing is calculated to provide plants the most room possible to develop to their greatest potential. However, these guidelines are not necessary for a seasonal container display intended to bloom for 4-6 months, and you can use many more plug plants per hanging basket to produce a flamboyant waterfall of color.

Use one plant for every inch of the basket’s diameter when planting a hanging basket, or 12 plants per 30 cm (12″) hanging basket.
Fuchsias and geraniums are the only robust-growing plants that make an exception to this rule (Pelargoniums). It is preferable to stick to 5 plants per 30cm (12″) hanging basket in this situation.
Approximately 6–8 plants can be comfortably fit in a 30cm (12″) patio planter; stronger-growing plants may require slightly less.

Find out how many plants you’ll need for each of your containers by looking at the table below.

Are fuchsias plants that trail?

Fuchsias are perennial plants, although because of their sensitivity to cold, they are sometimes planted as annuals. The trailing fuchsia plant types are arguably the most well-known, particularly in the northern United States where they are widely used in porch hanging baskets.

In recent times, upright fuchsia plants have also been prominently displayed. These kinds look beautiful in garden beds and typically produce smaller flowers. Both varieties of fuchsia plants can grow flowers with a single or two sets of petals.

Do geraniums make good hanging basket plants?

Popular flowering plants called geraniums are ideal for growing in containers like hanging baskets. The flower heads’ natural tones of lavender, white, salmon, pink, and red dress up a specific place at varied eye levels and add a burst of color. Long leaves trail to the sides of the basket for several feet. You may take care of your geraniums to ensure that they flourish not only during this season but also through the dormant period and into the following season.

The geraniums are planted in the hanging basket after equal parts of perlite and high-quality potting soil have been combined there. Such light, permeable soil drains well and gives roots access to air.

A location that receives at least six hours a day of direct sunlight is ideal for hanging your geranium-filled basket.

To a depth of two inches, stick your finger in the potting soil. If your finger is dry when you prick it, water the geraniums. Check your flowers frequently because they tend to dry out more quickly in hanging baskets than they do in the ground.

Popular flowering plants called geraniums are ideal for growing in containers like hanging baskets.
You may take care of your geraniums to ensure that they flourish not only during this season but also through the dormant period and into the following season.

In the early spring, fertilize your geraniums according to the manufacturer’s instructions, either with a water-soluble fertilizer every other week or a slow-release fertilizer. The plants receive the nutrients they require to be healthy as a result.

To ensure that the plant’s energy is focused on producing new flower heads, regularly pinch off old, sickly, or dying flower heads. Remove any leaves that are dead or withering. A tidy hanging basket is not only aesthetically beautiful, but it is also necessary for the geranium plant’s health.

Before the first frost, prune your hanging geranium plant to a height of 3 to 4 inches. Bring it indoors and place it in a room that doesn’t get too cold. During the winter, water your geraniums once a week until the soil is evenly moist. Once the last chance of frost has passed, fertilize and remain outside.

In the early spring, fertilize your geraniums according to the manufacturer’s instructions, either with a water-soluble fertilizer every other week or a slow-release fertilizer.
Once the last chance of frost has passed, fertilize and remain outside.

Morning is the best time to water geraniums. When plants are watered in the late afternoon or at night, the foliage becomes damp and prone to disease.

Make sure the hanging basket has sufficient drainage holes, and if not, drill them.

Avoid hanging the geranium-filled baskets in an area subject to severe winds. Geraniums shouldn’t be kept indoors for extended periods of time since the leaves start to yellow. Ensure that they receive six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day.

If you see a problem with pests like mealy bugs or spider mites that lay a lot of eggs on the leaves, use a commercial insecticide.

What blooms will droop over the pots?

14 Plants for the Garden that Cascading

Ciliatus Plectranthus. The evergreen perennial ground cover Plectranthus ciliatus has a draping look.
The sweet potato vine. What a pair of workhorses!
Ivy in English.
Violet Heart
Scaevola.
Torenia’s “Summer Wave Bouquet.”
Mandevilla.
Intense Flower

Can begonias be grown in hanging baskets?

The best choice for amazingly large basket displays is trailing begonias. Whether you choose the exquisite single-flowered kinds or the enormous, showy double-flowered varieties, they offer an abundance of vibrant flowers that cascade beautifully from any container, be it a basket, patio pot, or window box.

Begonias with trailing stems can be planted in baskets either side of the front entrance for a bright welcome or scattered on the patio for a splash of luscious color. In full sun or partial shade, they offer a great display and flower profusely all summer.

How to grow Trailing Begonias

The greatest time to purchase begonias is in the spring since you’ll have the most selection and the best price than if you wait until the summer and get ready-grown ones. They are sent to you as tubers in the spring, ready for you to cultivate at home. Tubers make them quite simple to cultivate, so it’s wise to plan ahead and place an early order.

Because begonias are delicate, they should be started in a frost-free area; a conservatory or greenhouse work best.

Online orders for begonia tubers will arrive just in time for you to pot them up ( around March or April). Here are some easy steps to get them started:

Compost should fill a seed tray up to around 8 cm.
Place your tubers concave side up in 3 cm deep shallow indentations you’ve made in the compost. Give the tubers a 2 cm gap between them.
After thoroughly but gently hydrating them, place the tubers in a light, frost-free area so they can develop.
The tubers should be moved and planted into pots, window boxes, or hanging baskets once the leaves have appeared, but they should remain in their frost-free location until the risk of frost has gone.
Begonias can be kept indoors until late May, or you can “harden off” the plants by leaving them outside during the day and bringing them inside at night or covering them with horticultural fleece.
In the middle of summer, it’s crucial to water containers every morning or evening because they can quickly dry out on hot days.
Feed them once a week with a high-potassium fertilizer, such as tomato fertilizer, to get the biggest, brightest displays.
Before the first cold, begonias frequently continue to bloom. Before the frost gets them, remove your begonias from their container, shake off the soil, and store them in a dry, well-ventilated, and frost-free location to preserve them for the next year. The next year, you can repeat the process once again.

Trailing Begonias in brief:

developed from tubers
30-40 cm in height
Scatter 30 to 60 cm
Spring planting yields summer blooms
grows in either full or partial sunlight.
appealing to bees
ideal for hanging baskets and pots
Frost delicate

Five of the best Trailing Begonias

Why preserve the color of your garden at ground level? Lift your flower arrangement higher to give your landscape a completely new atmosphere and viewpoint. Here are the top five trailing begonias for making stunning hanging baskets:

Begonia ‘Cascade Pink’

Large, eye-catching pink double flowers that cascade from pots in the early summer and throughout the fall add lots of “wow” factor. This vibrant cultivar gives both classic and modern gardens a touch of the tropics.

What month do hanging baskets get planted?

It’s okay to plant frosted winter hanging baskets between September and October because the plants should be hardy. Depending on the plants being used, you would typically plant a long-lasting perennial hanging basket starting in April.