HANGING baskets are container gardens that are suspended overhead. They are great for giving the illusion of bringing down the height of very tall spaces and making great visual impact.

Hanging baskets are a much loved method of featuring favourite plants hanging in well-selected places at home, either in-doors or outside.

With the decrease in yard sizes and increase in apartment living and townhouses, more people are gardening in containers of which hanging baskets make a beautiful addition.

If you are someone with little or no surface in your living apartment, hanging planters are great because they don’t require a landing space. In a room, hanging plants draw the eye up and really showcase the plant as well as adding an interesting design element. A well planted container brings plants and flowers and their fragrances up close and adds a bit of excitement to the area.

Hanging baskets overflowing with flowers and trailing vines bring life to the home and create an uplifting atmosphere. Having plants so close also allows you the opportunity to try new plants, to get to know a plant and to experiment. Hanging planters also double as room/wall art and with the sort of retro macramé and beading trend that has come back into hanging planters, you can coordinate your plant choices with anything from the trim on your house, to the cushions on the patio chairs.

Hanging baskets can be used on balconies or in pergolas. Half baskets can be hung on walls to make a living wall.

Want to grow your own food but have a small yard or no yard at all? Then consider starting a hanging basket garden. It is an easy way to turn porches, balconies and patios into productive garden space.

What foods can you grow in hanging basket? Lots of things actually, depending on what you like. Try beans, potatoes, peppers, herbs, vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and more.

Herbs are good plants for hanging baskets as they are naturally drought tolerant. You can have assorted herbs hanging basket filled with parsley, golden marjoram, oregano, lemon thyme with yellow mimulus. Try compact bush of trailing variety of tomato for an attractive and productive basket. Adding parsley or basil as a filler can make the basket even more lush. Another planting combination in an herb basket is nasturtiums with variegated pineapple mint and a silvery curry plant. Thyme, when it flowers, will attract bees and butterflies and do well in a hanging basket also.

A hanging plant does not simply mean Boston ferns, Swedish ivy, and spider plants, although these are remarkably easy to grow. There are some foliage plants which offer weird and intriguing leaf shapes. There are also a great many flowering plants ideal for indoor hanging baskets, each suited to different level  of light exposure, as well as temperature and humidity ranges. In fact, it is possible to find an indoor hanging plant for every conceivable situation.

How To Care For Hanging Plants

In the strictest sense, growing plants in hanging baskets is the same as growing them in grounded pots. But before you plan an ambitious Babylon of your own, be aware there are several things to consider that will protect your home and make the whole experience easier.

Some basic concerns for hanging plants involve how you plan to hang them. Nothing is less appealing than simply dangling an inexpensive plastic pot from a hook in the ceiling. Instead, consider grouping three or five containers of various sizes together in an open, well lit area and hanging them at different levels. Your arrangement will create a sense of both height and depth. While determining the height at which you will suspend the plants, keep in mind that you will want ready access to the plants for ongoing care. Sometimes it is best to hang the pots no higher than eye level, depending on the location.

Planters

Also, the container needs not be the typical plastic pot and attached saucer. The saucer overflow, creating a mess, and the pots are usually cheap in appearance. You might set a plain pot with drainage hole inside a more decorative pot or container without drainage hole. Decorative containers can offer a broad range of textures and styles which will enhance the overall appearance of your plants. There are a range of planters from super modern to earthy and rustic. From traditional galvanized wire, to earthenware herracotta and ceramics, to wicker and twigs to plastic and fiberglass, even glass and hanging garden bags.

The Weight Question

A hanging basket or pot full of wet soil and plant material can be heavy. Before you hang anything from your wall or ceiling, make sure the structure can hold the weight. Do not sink hooks straight into plaster or dry wall. Make sure they are firmly anchored in wall studs or ceiling joist. If you have existing hooks, test them before hanging anything.

Potting Media (Soil Mix)

Your choice of potting media will also make a difference. Most bagged potting soils are heaving with peat, or composted sphagnum peat, as the primary ingredient. Peat has excellent water retention qualities, but weighs more. If weight is a consideration, reduce the weight of your peat mix by adding perlite (moisture retention polymers). This will also increase drainage so you will have to water more often and be more careful not to drip from the basket.

Protecting Your Floors And Furniture

Hanging basket present multiple opportunities for disaster, but probably the most common is the water drainage. The coconut fiber liners that work outside are unsuited for indoor use because water runs straight through them. The two best options for indoor baskets are:

A Pot Within A Pot

This versatile and easy set up allows you to easily switch out your hanging plants. The outer decorative basket is completely sealed – no drainage hole at all – and it has chains or rope fastened directly to it for hanging. Place your potted plants inside, and voila!, you have a hanging garden.

The Attached Tray

This is how most hanging baskets are sold. A plastic basket comes with an attached drip tray. The wires or ropes attach to the basket itself. While this is lighter and more economical, the problem is usually the size of the drip tray. Very small trays allow very little room for error.

Watering

No doubt, watering is the hardest part. If you have very large, heavy baskets, you can attach them to simple pulley system that allows the entire basket to be lowered for watering. This however is impractical and far more ambitious for most home owners. In most case, a step ladder and a long neck watering can will take care of watering needs. If drainage is a persistent problem or you have white carpets, it might be a good idea to take the plants outside for weekly watering.

Remember that the air nearer the ceiling tends to be warmer and drier than air at the floor, so take this into account. Your hanging plant may need a little more water than your more terrestrial plants.

Tips For Growing A Successful Hanging Basket Garden

• Choose compact, bush or dwarf plant varieties when possible;

• Use light weight potting mix (not garden soil) to minimize the weight of the baskets;

• Water frequently. Potted plants dry out faster than in-ground plants (they may even need to be watered twice a day);

• Add a layer of mulch to help retain moisture between watering;

• Do not hang food plants from/under structures made of pressure treated lumber (the chemicals used to treat the wood are not food safe)

•If you only have a shady area to work with, stick with share tolerant plants.

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