Caring For Your Hanging Baskets

Caring For Your Hanging Baskets

Hanging baskets add instant color and charm to porches, patios, and entryways—but keeping them looking lush all season takes a little care and attention. Because they dry out faster and have limited root space, these compact gardens need more frequent watering, feeding, and pruning than plants in the ground. With just a few simple habits, though, you can keep your hanging baskets blooming beautifully from spring through fall. Here are some easy steps to help your baskets stay full, vibrant, and healthy all season long.

How to Keep Your Hanging Baskets Beautiful!

  • Step 1: Choose sun or shade. Be sure to choose a basket that will do well in the location it will be hanging.

    Most baskets do well in sun, while others do best in shade or part shade. Shade loving flowers include begonias, fuchsias, coleus, and impatiens.

  • Step 1.5: If you’ve chosen sun, place in full sun. If starting indoors, place them in a south facing window and set them out during the daytime when temperatures are warm so they get full sunlight. If starting outside, bring them in at night if there is risk of frost. Shade loving planters would be better started in an east window.

  • Step 2: Water often! Water until the water begins draining out of the holes in the bottom of the basket. Most hanging baskets will require daily watering when the weather is hot. They dry out MUCH faster than flowers planted in the ground or even in planters.

    • Baskets in the shade will probably not require watering as often. Lift the basket to feel how heavy it is. If it is heavy it is probably wet. If it is light it needs water.
    • If the container dries out too much the soil might shrink from the sides of the pot. Go around the edge of the pot pushing soil into the void with your thumbs, so that the water doesn’t just run down the sides and out the bottom. Then water it several times to re-soak the soil mix.

  • Step 3: Feed weekly! Feed with Fertilome 20-20-20 Water Soluble Plant Food every week. Because hanging baskets are watered so often they require more frequent feedings. Feeding is critical to keep your baskets blooming beautifully all season long.

    • Optional: For even better results, also feed once with Osmocote 14-14-14 Plant Food when you first purchase your hanging basket. This will feed your plants all season long, but it should be in addition to the weekly feed mentioned above.
  • Step 4: Prune off spent flowers. Every week or two, pick off spent flowers. This is not required, but will keep your plants looking fresh and vibrant.
  • Step 5: Enjoy. Following these simple steps will result in beautiful flowering baskets and pots that you will enjoy all summer long.

In short: hanging baskets are a beautiful way to bring color and life to your outdoor spaces — but they also demand a little extra care. Because they have limited soil and dry out more quickly than ground plantings, you’ll want to water deeply and regularly, feed consistently, and prune spent blooms to keep everything looking fresh. Choose plant varieties suited to sun or shade depending on the spot, and follow these maintenance habits all season long. Do that, and your baskets will stay lush and vibrant from spring well into fall, bringing joy to your porch, patio, or entryway.