planting perennial hanging baskets

wayne1983

After spending more time on veg and other edible stuff, i was thinking what could you plant in a hanging basket, that comes back year after year, is suitable, and looks good?
Weve got summer stuff in them now, but i was thinking more when there done whether to plant them for more long term, thanks:beer:

peter_the_piper

I hope no one can work one out or I'll be out of business.

westiea

Sedums and sempervivums look fabulous, too many varieties to suggest but I have some 'rosette and trailing mixes in each basket.

Just remember to weed and dead easy, AYR colour and if you forget to water not the end of the world!

Ken68

I rather like the idea of a herb basket hanging near the back door, refresh it in the spring.

jaxx46

I've put hardy fuschias in a couple of mine.

wayne1983

Thanks for the advice everyone. Regards fuchsias i thought they were annuals for summer?:beer:

katiel

I have a large hanging basket with trailing variegated ivy planted all round the edge. It's been there a couple of years and seems to survive anything. The pansies put in the middle last autumn are still flowering - just. Most surprising to me is a diascia which I thought was a summer plant, but has survived through the snow and ice and is flowering like mad again now.

Joly_Roger

Ivy, sedums & hardy fuschias are all great suggestions. Sedums are incredibly drought tolerant which makes them ideal. I've got loads of them in baskets, all in flower now. You could also try strawberries, I've got a few from last year still going.

However, I think the problem with a perennial hanging basket is that although it is less hassle to not need to replace the plants every year, the compost will get exhausted after 1 season. The soil in hanging baskets has to sustain an incredible amount of foliage and flowers, so much so that it requires watering daily and feeding regularly. I've found that if you recycle (don't change) the compost in your hanging basket every season, the plants only disappoint.

E.G. I used to be keep Pelargoniums for many years in wall mounted pots and hanging baskets, due to being in a very warm microclimate, but if I didn't change the compost they would perform very badly.


It might be possible to pop in slow-release granules and feed the baskets regularly to get the same nutrients to the plants, but in my experience, fresh compost makes all the difference.

ukjoel

I am trying toms in baskets this year for the first time but also like the idea of herbs and will give them a try.

wayne1983

Thanks for tips, i may pop some strawberries in, and feed regularly, as in the garden the soil is poor yet they fly and produce the goods!:beer:

heynonnynonny

I've done a basket containing munstead dwarf lavender in the centre with different varieties of thyme around it trailing, smells amazing.