Gardens come in all forms and dimensions, but one of the most often overlooked areas is the valuable real estate at eye-level or just overhead. Give an instant color boost to the porch, deck, balcony, or sunroom with hanging flowers. Increase convenience by growing suspended herbs outdoors, yet within easy reach of a kitchen window or door. Maximize general garden space by growing fruits and veggies from a roofline, a pergola, or a large tree.
Heavy Thoughts
The first step is to choose the container best suited for plants. Flowers, vines, herbs, and vegetables will all do well in simple, lightweight plastic or fiberglass hanging planters. They’re a great choice for newbie gardeners. In many situations, being lightweight is critical, as hanging planters, particularly larger ones, can get very heavy very quickly.Clay pots, both glazed and unglazed, are other alternatives. Unglazed pots, which dry out faster, are a popular choice for fuss-free succulent gardens. Wire baskets are another favorite that typically come pre-filled with a coco-fiber or sphagnum moss liner that offers excellent drainage and aeration properties. Some gardeners prefer to install a plastic liner inside the coco-fiber or moss before adding potting soil to retain more moisture and make the coco-fiber or moss last longer.
The next step is to choose a hook that is rated for more than the total estimated weight, just to be safe. When calculating, keep in mind not just the weight of the planter itself, plus soil and plants, but the weight of water as well. This is especially important with self-watering planters that have an attached tray holding a continuous supply of moisture. Always attach the hook as instructed—this is not the time to cut corners.
Ceiling mounted J-hooks should be connected directly to a ceiling joist or framing, or an exposed pergola crossbeam. Another alternative is an appropriately sized S-hook that is designed to be carefully fitted over an exposed beam or an appropriately strong tree branch. Hanging baskets can also be hung along a fence or other structure with a plant bracket hook.
Selecting Plants
The first and most important rule of planting a hanging basket is to choose plants that require the same growing conditions. Select plants with similar growing requirements, such as water and fertilizer levels; otherwise, the basket may soon be out of balance as one plant overtakes another.
Sun Lovers
A hanging basket set in a sunny location could be as simple as a few different colors of petunias draped over the sides of the container to form a near-perfect sphere of flowers. But there’s a wealth of other sun lovers to choose from. Options include pansies, black-eyed Susan vine, ivy geraniums, lobelia, lantana, scaevola, alyssum, sunpatiens, marigolds, verbena, dianthus, osteospermums, sun coleus, creeping Jenny, sweet potato vine, ivy dichondra, and mandevilla. Also consider ivy and the most popular succulents, ranging from the compact Hens and Chicks to the delightfully trailing Donkey’s Tail.Tomatoes also want their time in the sun, whether growing a bush variety in a traditional hanging container, or through the bottom of a Tomato Upside Down Hanging Planter. Strawberries will also thrive in a hanging environment, along with patio baby eggplants, compact peppers, summer dance and patio pickle cucumbers, cucamelons, zucchini, vining peas and beans, lettuce, Swiss chard, and mustard.
Shade Lovers
Fuchsia is ready to bring a pop of color to lower-light locations, as will begonias, impatiens, and lobelia. Marguerite daisy, western bleeding heart, monkey flower, trailing bacopa, and the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors that encompass this vibrant family prefer the respite from high sun as well.While some herbs like full sun, others—such as mints, creeping thyme, creeping rosemary, parsley, winter savory, marjoram, lavender, oregano, and more—will do equally well, and perhaps better, in a part sun-part shade locale during the high heat of summer. That is also the time to peek at the succulents, which might be happier in the morning sun, away from scorching afternoon rays.
