The Ultimate Guide to the Best Hanging Basket Flowers

Hanging basket flowers are a great way to decorate your front step or porch, bringing colour and vibrancy to your home. Plus, they’re perfect for attracting wildlife like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds right to your front door. Creating a hanging basket flower arrangement is simple. It’ll take you no time at all to plant your flowers in it. Even multiple hanging basket arrangements can be completed in less than an afternoon!

Follow our ultimate guide on how to create your hanging basket flower arrangement and discover the best hanging basket flowers and arrangements for all seasons below.

What are the Best Hanging Basket Flowers in Ireland?

Before you get started, you’ll need to pick out what you want to plant. Believe it or not, you don’t have to settle for flowering plants only in the Spring and Summer. There are several varieties of plants that flourish in Autumn and Winter. This means your hanging baskets can look great all year round! 

Spring Flowers for Hanging Baskets

During Spring, Ireland sees some of its most popular hanging basket flowers bloom! If you’re planning for a springtime hanging basket arrangement, you can’t go wrong with these flowers: 

Summer Flowers for Hanging Baskets

If you’re ready to plant flowers suitable for hanging baskets during the summertime, these are your best bets: 

Autumn Flowers for Hanging Baskets

Autumn blooming flowers bring beautiful colour to your hanging baskets, so don’t skip planting during this season. Here are our recommendations for Autumn flowers for hanging baskets: 

Winter Flowers for Hanging Baskets

Whether you’re looking for flowers for your hanging baskets near the holidays, or you’re ready for fresh plants to start off the new year, you'll find plenty to fill your hanging baskets with during the Winter. Here are some popular hanging basket flowers for wintertime: 

How to Create a Hanging Basket Flower Arrangement

Creating a hanging basket flower arrangement is incredibly easy. Even if you’re looking to make several hanging baskets, it’ll only take the better part of an afternoon to do it! We’ve divided the process into steps for your ease. Before you start, here’s what you’ll need: 

Tools for the Job

Step 1: Line Your Wire Basket

If you’ve chosen a wire basket, the first thing you’ll need to do is line it with your basket liner. We suggest a coco liner or a moss basket liner. Both of these options offer great drainage so you won’t need to worry about your plants being overwatered. Plus, they’re aesthetically pleasing for your front doorstep! 

Step 2: Add Your Potting Soil

With your liner in your basket, go ahead and fill the basket with a light potting mix. If you’re creating your own soil mixture, we recommend using peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite, all in equal parts. Fill your container within 2-5cm of the edge of the basket. If you fill the basket too much, you’ll risk water pouring over the edges, instead of seeping into the roots of the plants. 

Step 3: Choose Your Hanging Basket Flowers 

It can be overwhelming trying to choose the best flowers for your hanging baskets. After all, there are so many out there, and they can all give your home a beautiful appearance, so how do you choose? The first thing to consider is where your hanging basket will go. Is the location in a sunny or shady spot? Select your plants according to the amount of light they'll receive.

Note: most outdoor flowers prefer sunlight and will thrive in brighter spots versus shadier locations.

We recommend choosing a variety of plants that have many different textures. We also like adding a variety when it comes to height and trailing vines. For height, we recommend plants like ferns, daffodils, and tulips. Trailing plants add a wonderful dimension to your hanging baskets. Some of our favourites include ivy, fuchsia, and sweet alyssum.  

Be sure to consider the size of the plants, as varying sizes will make for a more attractive hanging basket arrangement. Daffodils, petunias, turtleheads, and pansies all have larger blooms. On the other hand, lobelia, sweet alyssum, and snowdrops have smaller flowers. Pairing large and small blooms will add dimension and variety to your hanging basket.

Step 4: Plant Your Hanging Basket Flowers

Our biggest recommendation is to not over-stuff your basket with flowers. Even if it looks skimpy now, don’t worry! It will fill in as your plants grow. A good rule of thumb: a small basket of 30-35cm can hold between 3-6 plants. A large basket of 40-45cm can hold 5-7 plants. As you place your plants into your hanging basket, tamp down on the soil to keep them secure. 

Step 5: Hang Your Hanging Basket

With the flowers planted in your hanging basket, it’s time to do the actual hanging! Install a hook on your porch, your patio, your deck or anywhere else around the exterior of your home. Alternatively, place a shepherd’s hook in the ground to add height and dimension to your garden, while adding visual appeal with the help of your hanging basket. Once it’s hung, go ahead and give it a thorough drink of water!

Caring For Your Hanging Basket Flowers

Your hanging basket flowers will need attention just like any indoor plant or any flowers in your garden. Below are our recommendations when it comes to caring for your hanging basket flowers:

Watering Your Hanging Basket Flowers

Your flowering plants will need more maintenance and attention, especially during the Summer. With hotter weather, you may find you need to water flowers in your hanging basket every day. Water your plants until the water runs out of the bottom of your basket. 

Fertilising Your Hanging Basket Flowers

If you used a premade potting mixture when you planted your flowers, it may have already included slow-releasing fertiliser. If so, you can forego bi-weekly treatments. Instead, use a water-soluble, liquid plant food to keep your flowers’ soil nutrient-rich. 

Adding hanging basket flowers to your front porch is a beautiful way to add variety, dimension, and curb appeal to your home. Plus, you can easily switch out your arrangements with every season - even Winter! 

Ready to create your own hanging basket? We've got everything you need to get started, here.