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Hanging container flowers
I am looking for flowers I can grow from seed in hanging containers which I want to place at the top of my fence.
I will work on the sunny side this year first.
Ideally I would like hardy perennials, so I can reduce the work of having to plant every year new.
(I was very ill and am looking into designing a low maintenance yet beautiful garden.)
Could you please suggest some seeds for me?
Thank you very much in advance.
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These are some flower plants that you can grow in hanging containers.
Lantana:-In frost-free areas, common lantana can become somewhat of a thug, growing into a wild woody shrub that scrambles through fences and overtakes flowerbeds.
Lobelia: - it’s best to think of lobelia erinus as a seasonal plant for early spring, as it thrives in moderate temperatures. Your hanging basket will be covered with a mass of electric blue flowers and contrasting white throats that appeal to butterflies.
Million Bells: - This cousin of the petunia won’t tucker out when the temperatures rise. Million bells produce little or no seed and don’t require deadheading to stay in bloom.
Pelargonium: - The bold texture, bright colours, and trailing habit of pelargoniums make them ideal for hanging baskets. Petunia: -
Petunias have always been a classic favourite for hanging baskets, but some gardeners have given up on them after struggling with plants bedraggled by disease and rainstorms.
Sweet Alyssum: - Sitting near a sweet alyssum hanging basket is like being in the presence of a fragrant cloud. These flowers have a strong honey scent that attracts butterflies and bees.
Last edited: 23 February 2018 10:58:00
Erigeron, begonias, campanulas, dwarf persicarias, laurentia (isotoma) ... These are perennials!
They may be perennials, but very few begonias are hardy in the UK.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
You're right, Dovefromabove. But I guess the rest is hardy, aren't they?
These are the Launrentia I know, and they're annuals https://www.vanmeuwen.com/p/laurentia-indigo-stars/v56795VM
Erigeron karvinskianus is only half-hardy in most of the UK.
It's not always the cold that does for them, it's the cold and wet combined
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you everyone!
I searched on the internet and came across hardy fuchsias, Diascia, Sedum, Achiella, Aubrietia and Campanula.
I probably buy plugs and plant them into John Innes 3.
Does this sound ok?
I don't think there is any need for John Innes 3, even John Innes 2 may not be ideal if it's for a display that is for one season. John Innes 2 is recommended for winter displays, so depends on your plans, since some of the plants on your list could be regarded as perennial. Diascias are not reliably hardy if you are thinking of keeping them in during the winter time.
Yes, this is what I was hoping for, if I take hardy perennials, that they manage the winter in South East England?
Is it worth a try?
I can place the baskets in a sheltered corner over winter with bubble wrap or fleece around if needed?
Could you recommend any compost?
If that is your plan, you could mix in John Innes 2 with multi pupose compost. You may find you will need to check on the compost and scrape away some old compost off and re-fill yearly. Depends where you are based when talking hardy, unfortuntely, Diascias and Isotomas have died on me, but then again, I used to garden on very heavy soil and being bundled in a basket, it might be better, and it would be worth a try along with Erigeron Karvinskianus.
What you want to do is not easily achieved, perenials like space, they grow big roots, most are not suitable for hanging baskets. You won’t save time because they will need potting on every year. Most grow into big clumps, that’s why they are good for cottage gardens.
None of the ones mentioned by the second poster are perennials, they won’t survive the winter in baskets, you may keep Lantana, maybe not.
Beginias need to be dried off for the winter and started off again in the Spring.
Why not just buy a bag of multi purpose compost and a few plants from a garden centre, or supermarket, Morrisons do a fantasic pack of pelagoniums, they will bloom all summer if you regularly dead head.