Hanging baskets are perfect for brightening up the front aspect of your house, or adding some vibrant eye-line colour to a patio garden. Choose vigorous easy to grow varieties for your hanging basket
Choose fast-growing colourful varieties
There is a wide range of annual plants available which are suitable for use in hanging baskets. Many are offered in a huge variety of colours and flower size. Petunias always make a spectacular display in hanging baskets as they have a good trailing habit and will produce large, colourful flowers throughout the spring and summer. For a mass of trailing green foliage coupled with hundreds of tiny colourful flowers, many gardeners choose to include Lobelia species in their hanging basket displays. Trailing varieties of Geranium are always popular, and nurseries may also offer pansies or osteospermum with a trailing habit for hanging baskets.q
Buy plugs or small plants
Unless you are experienced in the art of raising your own annuals from seed, it is best to buy young plants or plugs for your hanging basket displays. These plants will begin to grow and flower almost immediately after planting, and are likely to result in a better display throughout the season.
Edible hanging baskets
Add a twist to your hanging basket by including edible plants. Trailing tomatoes such as Tumbling Tom do very well in hanging baskets, and you may well find you are able to enjoy harvesting the tomatoes throughout the summer. This is a variety which is also easy to grow yourself from seed: start them off on a windowsill or in a seed propagator in February.
If you grow strawberries, you could try planting a few spare runners in the side of your basket, or buy young plants from the nursery. Strawberries add a splash of early season colour, and do well in baskets away from the slugs and snails.
Caring for your hanging basket
Frequent watering is vital for a successful hanging basket as there is relatively little soil to hold any moisture. Daily watering is likely to be necessary throughout the hotter months of the summer. Compost with added moisture-retaining components can help to ensure plants thrive in a hanging basket. Feed your hanging basket weekly to improve flowering and growth. Use fresh compost in your hanging basket each year for the best results.
Many flowering varieties require regular removal of old blooms in order to encourage the growth of more new flowers, thus extending the flowering season.
Veronica Mitchell - Veronica studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University before becoming a secondary school science teacher. She enjoys writing about ...
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