Top Ten Hanging Basket Plants

By Jessica Mcnamara

Mar 29, 2021

Mixed garden plants in a hanging basket

Hanging baskets are a brilliant way to add flowers and greenery to your front porch, garden or patio.   

Perfect for adding instant colour, growing your own and greening up your space, hanging baskets are a form of container gardening that offers a really simple and cost-effective way of getting into gardening, even if you have a tiny outdoor space.  

Hanging baskets can be filled with a selection of vibrant plants to create a stylish and interesting display that will make your neighbours jealous!   

The key is to choose flowers that grow outwards instead of upwards, we love the ones that spill over the sides and cascade in drifts of colour which usually includes trailing varieties.  

Ensure you plant them at the right time! For summer hanging baskets, plant from April onwards. For winter hanging baskets, plant between September & October.   

So, what should you plant in them? There are many species that are suitable for hanging baskets, ranging from colourful flowering and bedding plants – to climbers, shrubs and evergreens.   

To help you choose varieties that are perfect for you, the experts here at The Growers have chosen their top ten favourite plants to use in hanging baskets. 

pink petunia hanging basket

 

Petunia 

Trailing Petunia is easy to care for – just place in locations with full sunlight, water frequently and make sure your basket has at least one hole for drainage. Know that some varieties need a little bit of trimming and deadheading.   

Bright, bold and bursting with life, petunias are one of the most popular flowers to plant in hanging baskets. Native to South America, the Petunia is an ornamental plant with voluminous flowers that are available in a wide range of colours and shapes, double and single flowers, you are guaranteed to find the perfect fit for your garden displays.  

Petunia grow well in hanging baskets...just watch how they flow over the edge of baskets in huge drifts of colour. These colourful blossoms bring joy wherever they are. These sun-loving plants are perfect to bring a pop of colour to any area and add the ‘wow’ factor to your garden.  

Million Bells (Petunia's cousin) also makes a brilliant plant for hanging baskets, they are low maintenance as they don't need deadheading, all they need is moist soil and a full day of sun to keep your hanging baskets vibrant!

Pink begonia hanging basket

Begonia

These annuals will give many blooms in their lifetime as long as you care for them properly. Make sure the soil remains moist, but don’t overwater them as Begonia plants are susceptible to root rot. Begonias are an excellent choice if you are planting a hanging basket in a partially shaded location.  

Native to South & Central America, Africa & South Asia, Begonias are a flowering plant with around 1500 species! Instantly recognisable with their large blooms that hang from thick stems, they are a popular basket and bedding plant.   

These hummingbird-friendly plants add an interesting aspect to your garden. Their flowers are often showy with either vibrant coloured single or double blooms, which make for a fantastic hanging basket display filled with frills and colour.  

Pink and purple fuchsia

Fuchsia  

They are easy to maintain and are known for their high performance. Keep them in a sunny or partially shaded location, and water the soil every 2-3 weeks to keep it moist, but not waterlogged. Although they mix well with other garden plants, trailing fuchsias lend themselves to solo planting. Fuchsias are very tough, semi-hardy hanging basket plants, so they can be kept in a frost-free place over winter and grow again the following year.   

Know that Fuchsias don’t like hot climates, but they are great hanging plants for summer and will attract hummingbirds to your garden. Exotic looking pendant-shaped blooms drip down through the summer from these amazing plants giving your hanging baskets a tropical look. They will fill a basket easily and be smothered in fantastic blooms.  

Bright pink & purple fuchsias are an immensely popular choice, these delicate looking flowers add elegance like no other and are a delight to any garden. Choose a small, hardy variety, and plant in your basket in early summer. Create a bold and beautiful avalanche of colour in your hanging baskets this summer.  

Pink geranium hanging basket

Geranium

These are very low-maintenance plants that are perfect for any hanging basket. Simply give them a warm sunny spot, deep watering, well-drained soil and deadhead to keep the blooms coming. These have gained popularity in European window boxes for their ability to repel flies in the Summer. They do not fair well in frost, so you will need to bring them inside over winter or replace them each year.  

Bold Geraniums gently cascading over the side of summer hanging baskets and planters are a marvellous sight. With their bright green foliage, vibrant colours and tumbling habit, they are an essential addition for creating the perfect hanging basket. Found in an array of different colours, they can add a splash of bright colour to the exterior of your home.

Purple viola hanging basket

Viola  

Viola feature clumps of distinctive, 5-petalled flowers. Colours range from blue and purple, to yellow and pink. These are a sweet-smelling flower, so perfect for placing in hanging baskets at nose level. Grow in nutrient-rich, moist soil, with good drainage.  

 purple pansy

Pansy  

These are easy to maintain, they just need water and fertiliser. Pansies only need moderate amounts of sunlight. Pansies prefer cooler weather, namely in the late fall and early spring. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering.   

Pansies are an extremely popular choice for hanging baskets in the UK. These flowering plants produce blooms in a wide range of colours. These peculiarly shaped plants with their exquisite face-like petals will add some character to your garden.   

Primrose yellow, red, purple, pink and white hanging basket

Primrose  

Primrose is a symbol of springtime and makes a bright and uplifting addition to your garden. Their flowers are usually yellow and form in clusters.

Purple osteospermum hanging basket

 

Osteospermum  

Easy to maintain and naturally drought tolerant which makes them perfect for hanging baskets and pots. Their spreading habit will make them spill over the edge of the basket and form a ball shape. Planting up a basket with the Osteospermum 3D Collection will give you a display of unusual and extremely attractive flowers!    

Purple verbena

Verbena

Verbena plants are tough and easy to grow. They are heat and drought-tolerant and will flower profusely all summer if you feed them regularly, give them lots of sunlight and make sure they have good drainage. These long-lasting summer blooms will survive even in extreme heat. Their stiff, trailing stems and pretty fern-like leaves are very wind and weather resistant.   

There are lots of different colours from which to choose, from single colour to variegated white to shades of pink, coral, red, and violet.   

Pink Diasca

 

Diascia  

Diascia growing conditions involve full sun or partial shade, cooler temperatures, and slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Diascia’s cup-shaped flowers are usually various shades of pink and are a perfect way to add colour to your garden during summer.   

None of these work for you? Sweet Alyssum might just be the one for you! Sitting near a sweet alyssum hanging basket is like being in the presence of a fragrant cloud. The honey scent and mounds of white flowers attract bees & butterflies. Perfect!