How to Plant the Perfect Hanging Basket

Whether you live in a house or apartment, a flower-filled hanging basket is the perfect way to brighten up your outdoor space. It also takes up minimal space leaving you with plenty of room regardless of where you hang it. Some of the best places to hang one up include: over doorsteps; in porches; on a balcony; beside your patio door; outside of your shed; and under a pergola. Not sure how to plant one up? We have a great guide below to help you create the perfect hanging basket for your home!

Picking the Right Plants

Whether you're planting a new basket or bringing life to an old hanging basket, it's always important to choose the right plants. Depending on its habit, a plant can either grow upright or trail downwards. Hanging baskets can be planted with both types, either on their own or with a mix of the two. It's best to base your choice on your desired finish.

Depending on the time of year, it's best to plant up hanging baskets with colourful, seasonal bedding. However, you can also add some permanent evergreen plants to your basket, such as Trailing Ivy or Carex, which won’t need changing every season. Check out our blog on choosing the best hanging basket flowers here.

Choosing Your Compost

Once plants are selected, it's time to choose our compost. If you're re-planting an old hanging basket, make sure to change the soil too. This is because the soil in old baskets will now be drained of all nutrients. Fill up the basket halfway with a good, multi-purpose compost. Always remember, good plants grow in good compost. Learn more about the right type of soil for your plants here.

Arranging Your Hanging Basket

Now that you've chosen your plants and your compost, the next step is to position them in the hanging basket. The reason behind this is so that we can visualise what the basket will look like once it's planted up. Remember to leave some space between plants to allow them to grow.

Firming & Finishing Your Hanging Basket

Once you’re happy with the positioning of your plants in the hanging basket, it's time to firm them in. Add compost in the basket around the plant's root ball, then fill the basket to the top. Once you’re happy the basket is full enough, firm in the plants. This involves gently putting pressure around the base of the plants.

Aftercare & Maintenance

Hanging baskets can dry out and need to be checked regularly. Sunny spells and winds will dry baskets out (the smaller the basket, the more likely this is). When watering, try to avoid wetting the plants. Instead, water the soil. Remember that we want moist soil, not soggy soil. To keep your hanging basket looking its best, use a liquid feed every 2/3 weeks. Remember to regularly deadhead the plants too. This involves pinching off the old flowers (which are beginning to look a little dead) from their stem. Plants will always go into seed after flowering. By removing the old flowers, the plant will be tricked into longer flowering periods.

Now that you know how to create the perfect hanging basket, it's time to gather everything you'll need. You can find it all here.