How to Choose Plants for Hanging Baskets
Hanging baskets are a simple way to add character to your yard or porch, and require very little maintenance once the baskets are planted. You can plant a traditional hanging basket with solid sides that acts like a flowerpot, or a wire basket that allows you to plant flowers both vertically in the soil and horizontally through the sides of the container. Because hanging baskets use annual flowers they are usually inexpensive, which makes them a good choice for landscapers on a budget. Annuals also grow quickly, so your baskets will be full and thriving only a few weeks after you assemble them. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Decide on a shape and color scheme. Hanging baskets can be all the same plant, or you can combine several different plants. Keep the colors simple, choosing two to four types of flowers with a coordinating color palette. Decide whether you want trailing plants to hang down from your basket, taller plants to fill out the top, shorter flowers to peek over the sides or all three. Consider the size of your hanging basket during planning to make sure all your plants will fit. If you plan to plant horizontally on the sides of a wire basket, choose trailing plants, which tolerate horizontal planting better.
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Browse your local garden store or online photos to choose specific plants to fill in your plan. Impatiens, pansies, petunias or marigolds are good smaller flowers to fill in the basket, while geraniums and snapdragons are good tall flowers for the center of your arrangement. Trailing begonias, ivy, trailing petunias, morning glories and dichondra are all good choices for trailing plants to cascade over the sides of your hanging pot.
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Choose plants that have similar water and sunlight needs. Your basket can either be in a shady or sunny spot, but you cannot combine flowers that need full sun with vines that need shade. Similarly, consider how much water each plant needs and choose flowers with similar requirements.
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Buy flowers from a reputable nursery or garden store. Choose flowers with several strong stems that stand tall, rather than droopy or spindly plants. You will want to plant your flowers with plenty of space to spread; do not buy enough flowers to fill your basket the first day you plant them. Leave a few inches around each flower to allow the annuals to expand.
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