There’s nothing quite as eye-catching as a balcony or patio decorated with hanging baskets full of beautiful flowers.
Hanging baskets provide an excellent way to add a colorful touch to your garden or porch. Even if you’re limited on space and don’t know much about gardening, you’ll find that decorating your home in this way isn’t as daunting as you may think.
However, when you’re dreaming about perfect basket arrangements, a couple of questions can arise. The biggest of these is – which flowers or plants should I use? You also might be asking – how often should I water plants to achieve a terrific blooming look?
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best flowering plants for hanging baskets. With these, you’ll be able to add interest and color to any balcony, deck, porch, or garden. Remember you can get a head start on growing your flowers by using an aerogarden before the real growing season starts.
Contents
Lobelia
Lobelia, an eye-catching, annual flowering plant, is very easy to grow.
There are more than 400 varieties of Lobelia on the planet. Lobelia String of Pearls, Lobelia Crystal Palace, Lobelia Cambridge Blue, Lobelia Cardinalis, Lobelia Inflata, and Lobelia Aberdarica are among the most popular species.
The delicate flowers of this plant come in a variety of colors. These include red, pink, white, yellow, purple, and blue. The most prominent of these are violet and blue, and they’re an ideal choice for hanging baskets and garden borders.
Growing best in rich, wet soils, this plant is grown from the seed. A partial sunshade is recommended, and you can expect to see the tubular-shaped flowers opened from early summer to early frost.
Begonia
Just like Lobelia, Begonia is also very easy to maintain and grows well in all types of containers, including hanging baskets.
There’s a staggering number of 1500 different species of this plant on the planet. The appearance and size of Begonia’s flowers depend on its type. Most gardeners agree that the prettiest Begonia flowers are those of bronze, red, yellow, pink, and white color.
The seeds of this attractive plant are readily available on the market. Surprisingly, a single ounce of this plant’s seeds is capable of producing around 3 million seedlings.
Make sure to plant Begonia seeds into fertile, well-drained soil. Full sunshine is particularly important. Expect to see flowers from late spring to early autumn.
Lantana
Producing a plethora of attractive colors, Lantana is undoubtedly one of the world’s prettiest flowers.
Native to tropical regions, it produces clusters of lovely tubular flowers that come in many different colors. Some of these include orange, white, lavender, yellow, and pink. It’s one of the nicest-looking flowering plants you can grow in your hanging baskets.
Make sure to hang the baskets in warm, sunny spots. During the growing stage, Lantana needs to be frequently watered. It blooms throughout summer and autumn, giving an equatorial touch to your patio.
Geranium
A popular bedding flower, Geranium comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is available in purple, red, orange, white, blue, and pink colors. While a popular species for hanging baskets, Geranium also grows well in borders and beds.
The best time to plant these flowers is during the spring. They grow best from cuttings.
Once you’ve filled your hanging baskets with well-drained soil, carefully plant the Geranium cuttings. Hang the baskets somewhere in full sunshine. Also, keep in mind that this plant requires frequent fertilization during its growing stage.
The time of blooming depends on a particular type of Geranium. However, most species bloom throughout autumn.
Fuchsia
Next up is Fuchsia, which many consider being the best choice for hanging baskets.
This flowering plant comes in many varieties. Both the single and two-color species are available, as well as all sizes and shapes. When it’s blooming, Fuschia is a sight to behold, with its charming flowers hanging down from the basket.
Once planted in moist soil, Fuschia needs cooler temperatures for good growth. Another important thing is to fertilize the plant every two weeks.
The blooming time varies depending on the climate and species. Under adequate conditions, Fuschia blooms in early spring, between March and April.
Clematis
An eye-pleasing climbing vine, Clematis produces adorable blooms of white, yellow, blue, purple, and red colors.
There are hundreds of different species of Clematis on the planet, with some growing over 20 feet in height. As a climbing plant, it’s an ideal choice for hanging baskets on your patio.
The most suitable species for hanging baskets are called Bees Jubilee, Miss Bateman, and Barbara Jackman. Like most flowering plants on our list, Clematis needs to hang in a sunny area and should be watered regularly.
It blooms from the start of summer to early autumn.
Black-Eyed Susan Vine
This perennial climbing plant is capable of growing over 8 feet in length. The flowers of Black-Eyed Susan Vine are tubular, and, as the name suggests, feature a distinctive dark spot in the middle.
The petals of this delightful plant come in bright yellow, white, orange, red, and orange-red colors. Black-Eyed Susan Vine grows well in all types of containers, including hanging baskets.
To grow this plant, use cuttings. Fill a hanging basket with quality soil, plant the cutting, and put the planted basket in full sunshine. Expect to see flowers from early summer to autumn.
Sweet Alyssum
Behind this peculiar name hides an annual flowering plant with small clusters of attractive flowers. The color of these flowers depends on the subtype, with the most popular species producing purple, yellow, violet, red, pink, and white flowers.
An added bonus is the smell – Sweet Alyssum is one of the most pleasant-smelling plants out there. It grows well in all types of containers, as well as at borders and rock gardens.
After planting the seeds into well-drained soil, hang the baskets somewhere where they will get plenty of sunshine. If you’re living in a particularly dry climate, make sure to keep your Sweet Alyssum well-watered.
In proper conditions, the small clusters of tiny flowers should show up throughout the entire summer. The pleasant smell is guaranteed to leave you speechless.
If you plan on setting up a patio so that you can properly enjoy these pleasant flowers throughout the summer, check out my post on finding garden furniture discounts.
Petunia
Another popular choice for hanging baskets is Petunia. Coming in a wide variety of subtypes, Petunia produces single or double blooms. A plethora of different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures are available.
When it comes to hanging baskets, the best varieties are called Surfinia, Cascadia, and Grandiflora. All of these should be kept in sunny spots and watered at least once during the week.
Petunia decorates a garden with its beautiful flowers throughout the entire summer. What’s more, it spreads a charming fragrance on blooming.
Calibrachoa
This miniature version of Petunia is slowly gaining in popularity. It’s a prolific basket plant that is just as robust as its larger cousin. However, Calibrachoa’s flowers are much smaller, giving it a distinct look.
This flowering plant grows well in both shade and sun. Moreover, it is highly tolerant of summer showers. As such, this vigorous plant is an ideal choice for duller areas of your garden or any other place that needs cheering up.
One of the most interesting varieties is called Mini Rosebud Romantic Peachy. The delicate flowers of this subtype combine orange and pink colors and don’t require much maintenance.
Million Bells
This lovely trailing and mounding summer annual plant is a fantastic choice for hanging baskets.
Just like Calibrachoa, Million Bells also sports petunia-like flowers, and these come in a wide variety of colors. Besides looking gorgeous, they will also attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your patio or porch.
This plant enjoys full sunshine to partial shade. It will, however, bloom more prolifically when exposed to plenty of sunshine. The soil needs to be kept moist, particularly during hotter months. Try to avoid over-watering, though.
Bougainvillea
Next up is Bougainvillea, a shrubby, evergreen vine.
As a sub-tropical plant, Bougainvillea produces distinctly colorful flowers. The red and purple varieties are the most popular. However, the newest cultivars are starting to bloom in yellow, white, orange, and apricot.
Bougainvillea can be trained to stand on its own as an evergreen shrub, but it also grows well in hanging baskets. It’s a drought-tolerant plant that requires full sun. Therefore, make sure to keep the soil a bit drier than usual.
Portulaca
This flowering plant comes in several vibrant colors, such as pink or red. As you’re shopping for it, you’ll probably notice that it’s also called Moss Rose, Purslane, and Yubi.
Portulaca is an ideal choice for those who need basket flowers that don’t require much maintenance. With this plant, you won’t have to worry about fertilizing or watering that much. What’s more, Portulaca is extremely tolerant of drought and heat.
Portulaca seeds are often sold as mixtures. If you end up with some leftover seeds after planting the baskets, plant the rest of them at empty spots in your garden – Portulaca spreads very quickly.
Selecting the right flowering plants for your hanging baskets will result in a lasting color that decorates your porch all season long.
You won’t make a mistake by choosing any of the plants from our list. All of them grow well in containers and produce flowers that are guaranteed to give your balcony or patio an attractive look.
Do know that some plants are toxic to dogs. If you have a dog, read my post on flowers and dogs.
Check out my post on How to Prune a Fig Bush as well while you are here.
