I went through a phase of creating hanging baskets very early on in my gardening career. In fact I was still in secondary school! I must have acquired a wire basket from somewhere; but what to line it with? Pocket money only stretched to a bag of potting mix and a plant, so taking my cue from a glossy gardening magazine, I went out and peeled the bark off a paperbark tree conveniently planted by the council on our nature strip! I lined the basket with the bark and then placed a plastic bag inside this to improve the basket’s water holding capacity. A few holes were poked in the bottom of the plastic bag; I poured in the potting mix and then took great delight adding the plants. I seem to recall I had a piggyback plant (Tolmiea menziesii), an aluminium plant – well that’s what I called it (probably a lamium but maybe a pilea) and some variegated spider plant (Chlorophytum sp.). I think the first two died and the latter took over (as it can) but I really enjoyed the entire exercise!

Hanging baskets are not easy, make no mistake! You are forcing a plant or plants to live in a confined pot, drying out madly in the wind in full blast of the sun. If this is the first time you have tried hanging baskets then take note of the following:-
1. Buy the biggest basket you can manage – the bigger the basket the more room for roots.
2. Don’t overplant! I know you see the TV gardeners cramming plants into a basket, but it is not necessary! One well grown petunia can look spectacular!
3. If it is a porous basket, line it with plastic as I did. And don’t forget to poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage.
4. Use a quality hanging basket potting mix, use water saving crystals liberally, use slow release fertiliser and mulch the basket surface.
5. Place the basket on the east side of your house or in a fernery. Afternoon sun in an Australian summer will be the end of your basket.
6. Water your basket every day – on hot days maybe even two or three times a day. A fully grown plant fills a basket with roots and gets thirsty very quickly.

You can put all sorts of plants in a hanging basket. Smaller growing annuals always look good. Marigolds, salvias and petunias are classics and the new spreading petunias and its relative calibrachoa make a great cascade of flowers. The smaller growing fuchsias are always popular too and I simply love Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ – it makes a cascade of silvery-grey kidney shaped leaves. For shade impatiens are always a good bet and I once grew a hare’s foot fern (Polypodium sp.) in a hanging basket and it looked sensational. Some of our smaller growing Australian native plants would be okay in a basket – brachyscome and chrysocephalum would look great together and cascade down the sides of the basket. The colourful Bambino range of bougainvilleas also does well in a basket. What about growing herbs in a basket – and then hang it in reach of the kitchen, that’s a great idea. One of the big horticultural companies had the brilliant idea of having a cherry tomato (‘Tiny Tim’ or one of the new ‘Tumbling Tomatoes’ either yellow or red) and a basil plant in a hanging basket – instant bruschetta, just add onions! Strawberries do well in a hanging basket, but they do like it constantly moist I’ve found.

Succulents do well in a hanging basket, but like all other plants they do best with regular water. I tried to emulate the fantastic balls of succulents I saw at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS). I failed and it was my own fault as I positioned the ball on the north side of the house and ignored them. The result was fried succulents. There is a hanging basket competition held at MIFGS every year and you can get some great ideas wandering among the lush baskets filled with an astonishing range of plants.

Overseas, hanging baskets seem to be very popular in some countries. I seem to recall seeing enormous baskets suspended from light poles in an English village – watering wouldn’t be a problem there. In America they like hanging baskets too. I saw some beauties in California.

When hanging baskets are wet they are very heavy so make sure your fittings and fixtures can cope with this weight. You might need to buy a watering wand in order to reach your basket, but don’t hang them up too high or you will miss half the show!
 

Illustrations from top to bottom: Amber Star: Calibrachoa ‘Amber Star’ (basically a type of petunia) makes a great subject for a hanging basket. Terracotta: In Darwin they grow epiphytic orchids in specially made terracotta pots with additional aeration and drainage in the sides! HB Double Blue: This superb new double blue trailing petunia was bred to look good when hung up high. MIFGS tyres: It might not be your cup of tea, but these hanging tyres filled with succulents caught my eye at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in 2008. MIFGS pyramid: Also at MIFGS was this fantastic hanging upside down pyramid planted with an astelia. If you are into strong geometric shapes and rust then this is the hanging ‘basket’ for you! Silver Falls: No one ever thought to plant the green leaved kidney weed Dichondra repens in a hanging basket; but its stunning cultivar ‘Silver Falls’ makes an eye-catching sight. Chlorophytum: The spider plant Chlorophytum is a tough plant and does well in hanging baskets.