Plants that sprawl and scramble when planted in the ground take on a new dimension when you plant them in hanging containers. Nurseries stock hanging pots and baskets already planted and ready to hang. You can also buy the empty container and plant your own basket. Use wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss, or ceramic, plastic, or wooden containers designed for hanging. For a ball-of-flowers effect, use a moss-lined wire basket, placing the plants in the sides, bottom, and top.
The list below suggests good foliage plants suitable for hanging containers; the chart on the opposite page lists flowering plants. Besides these plants, many of the aromatic herbs and small-fruited peppers and tomatoes do well in hanging baskets.
Bar Harbor juniper (J. horizontolis ‘ Bar Harbor ’). Long, trailing, ground-hugging; steel blue foliage turns purplish in fall. New growth bright green. Sun.
Bearberry cotoneaster (C. dammeri). Creeping prostrate stems follow contours of the container, hang far below. Bright red fruits in fall.
Blue carpet juniper (J. h. ‘Wiltonii’). Flattest juniper; silver blue needles. Sun.
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniense’). Long fronds droop to 3 feet below container in open shade. Direct sun may burn the plant.
Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia). Familiar house plant in colder areas; elegant outdoor hanging container plant where mild. Shade or partial shade; takes sun in cool, moist climates.
Ivy (Hedera). Small and miniature-leafed forms make ideal hanging plants. All are more lush in full shade.
Mirror plant (Coprosma repens, often sold as
C. boueri). Uncommonly handsome when trailing branches drape over the edge of a suspended container. Part shade; at its best in cool fog belt.
Plectranthus (P. australis). Leaves are thick and succulent, with scalloped edges. Insignificant white or pale lavender flowers. Tender below 24°. Shade.
Shore juniper (Juniperus conferto). Bright green, soft needled. Sun or part shade.
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum). Evergreen perennial with curving leaves tipped with small duplicates of mother plant that are easy to remove and pot up. Partial shade, moisture.
Sprenger asparagus (A. sprengeri). Tough and easy, yet extremely graceful. Takes sun but more lush in shade.
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