{"id":182,"date":"2015-05-01T15:21:08","date_gmt":"2015-05-01T15:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/?p=182"},"modified":"2018-11-13T22:00:37","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T22:00:37","slug":"hanging-baskets-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/?p=182","title":{"rendered":"Hanging Baskets Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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16″ hanging basket of lilac petunias, calibrachoa, trailing verbena, and yellow bidens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hanging baskets can be a quick and easy way to add color and style to a patio or porch, but it\u2019s important to select the right plants for the spot you have chosen. A basket of petunias is never going to be happy in a shady nook, and tuberous begonias will crisp up in the afternoon sun. When choosing plants, you also want to consider how easy it will be to water. If watering the basket is going to be a challenge, you can help compensate by choosing plants that can take dry conditions, or choose larger pots or self-watering pots and soil amendments that will help you maintain moisture around the root zone.<\/p>\n

Available sunlight is the starting point for all plant selection, so it\u2019s important to determine the number of hours your plants will receive in the location you plan to plant. Do you have a northern exposure or heavy shade from a tree? It doesn\u2019t matter if \u201cit\u2019s really very bright!\u201d\u2014you will have poor performance from sun lovers like petunias. Our visual perception of light isn\u2019t necessarily an accurate measurement of available light to the plant.<\/p>\n

Full sun is 6+ hours of direct sun that will shine on the foliage of your plants, each day. These are going to generally be southern, western, or south-western sides of the house, and not tucked back under an awning. If it\u2019s a spot you want to avoid in the middle of the afternoon, odds are good that it\u2019s the perfect spot for a basket of upright geraniums or calibrachoa.<\/p>\n

Easy plants for sunny baskets include petunias, scaevola, calibrachoa, trailing portulaca, lantana, trailing verbena, and bidens. A blend of petunias, verbena, and bidens will provide a mix of both colors and textures with long-blooming flower power. An easy care combo for full sun could include a salmon geranium, 3 \u2018Bombay Blue\u2019 scaevolas, and 3 light-yellow calibrachoas.<\/p>\n

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Mimulus, best for shade or filtered light areas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Part-Sun is less than 6 hours of sun per day, which typically amounts to morning sun only. These are usually eastern exposures or an area that would have all day sun, if it weren\u2019t for that gorgeous maple planted two owners ago. An area with dappled shade for the full day can be counted as part-sun for planting purposes.<\/p>\n

Easy plants for morning sun include New Guinea impatiens, torenia, many begonias, ivy geraniums, and bacopa. Bacopa can sometimes stop blooming at the peak heat of the summer, but the foliage remains as a lovely cascade and will bloom again once the temperatures cool a bit in late summer and fall. Pansies can also be included in this group, but like bacopa (and most of us!), high temperatures induce a resting phase. A quick and lovely part-sun combo might include a few yellow or salmon \u2018Mocca Mix\u2019 begonias, a few \u2018Gold n Pearls\u2019 bacopa, and a 4-pack of deep blue torenia.<\/p>\n

Full Shade is quite literally no direct sun in a day. Common shade zones are under a porch or patio awning, under dense tree shade, or in the shade of buildings.<\/p>\n

A basket of shade-loving plants could include pansies, compact or trailing coleus, bacopa, begonias, fuchsia, and traditional impatiens. For a quick combo, try 3 Illumination begonias and 3 white bacopas.<\/p>\n

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Calibrachoa, great for sunny hot spaces and easy to grow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With all basket plantings, it is important to monitor the growth of your plants so that you don\u2019t end up with one vigorous plant taking over the entire pot (I\u2019m looking at you, trailing petunias!). Mild, selective pinching and pruning throughout the summer will encourage new growth from the top of the basket and help keep your baskets looking full and fresh.<\/p>\n

A word about feeding your plants \u2013 Yes! We\u2019re asking our annuals to entertain us with beautiful blooms all summer long, through any sort of weather or challenge that comes their way. They can\u2019t do that without regular fertilization. Try Jack\u2019s Classic Blossom Booster for the majority of your flowering plants, outdoors and indoors. Petunias prefer a special diet, so try Jack\u2019s Classic Petunia Feed. Follow the instructions on any fertilizer you select.<\/p>\n

Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hanging baskets can be a quick and easy way to add color and style to a patio or porch, but it\u2019s important to select the right plants for the spot you have chosen. A basket of petunias is never going to be happy in a shady nook, and tuberous begonias will crisp up in the … Continue reading Hanging Baskets Basics<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-annuals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=182"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":196,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182\/revisions\/196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echters.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}