Tips for choosing plants for Hanging Baskets
There are a number of factors to consider while choosing plants for hanging basket. Hanging Baskets are common, especially with city dwellers as they lack spaces for garden and same time want a home garden or greenery around them. A dedicated wall in your balcony with hanging baskets will make a beautiful vertical garden. It enhances the greenery and thereby the visual appeal of your space, even if it is a small garden. Hanging baskets are a great way to spice up your balconies and sit outs without consuming floor spaces.
Flowering plants Vs Non flowering plants
Most of us love the concept of Hanging basket gardening, but confused over the kinds of plants that go well in hanging baskets. Some love to grow vegetable plants while other loves growing colorful flowering plants in it. A good way of arranging plants in a wide hanging basket is to place large plants first and then tuck in small flowering plants around them and trailing plants at the edge. Let’s have a look at the best fitting plants for hanging baskets.
Flowering plants: You can choose a color scheme or mix of colors to make your hanging basket gardening a eye catching. You can try plants like Wax begonia (Begonia ‘Prelude Red’), Torenia ‘Catalina Blue’, Lantana (yellow, red and lavender), Hanging Petunia, Pelargonium (Geraniums), Shammocks and English Ivy. Shammocks and English Ivy are ideal for interiors too as it requires less light.
Non-flowering plants: Those who loves the concept of non-flowering plants can either choose vegetable plants for hanging baskets or non-flowering plants like money plants, rheo discolour, variegated baby rubber, pilea artery, heartleaft ice plant etc.
Thing to consider while choosing plants for hanging basket
The important thing to consider while choosing plants for hanging basket are how tall and thick it will grow, how much sunlight it will require and it’s blooming time. Plants that consume less water are more ideal for hanging baskets than the plants that need frequent watering and having the problems like dripping of excess water.
If you want plants that consume more water, you can make the alternative arrangements for tapping excess water and hanging a drain pan under it, but without losing its beauty. Plants that require more sunlight are ideal for balconies if you get sufficient day light there.
The Next important thing to consider is choosing a basket. Know your plant, the expanding root systems of the plant and the basket that can hold soil and plants. You can also choose plants according to the height of the place you hang baskets. If your basket is positioned high up, you can consider using spiller plants- plants that will fall over the sides. Ensure the basket chain is hanging from a sturdy hook and ensure the safety like the structure is strong enough to support the basket.
