A hanging basket at a dizzy height creates a summery atmosphere. Not only hanging plants are suitable for hanging baskets, but also drought-resistant summer flowers or edible crops. The selection of plant species is large.

In a nutshell

  • Geraniums and petunias are popular traffic light plants
  • preferably choose hanging varieties
  • water frequently
  • flowering traffic light plants need sunny places
  • Green plants prefer semi-shady to shady locations

Hanging flowering plants

Hanging geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum hybrid)

  • Length: up to 100 cm
  • flowers: simple, filled
  • Color: white, red, violet, pink, multicolored
  • leaves: ivy-like, lobed
  • Care: high water requirement, fertilize regularly
  • Propagation via cuttings possible

Petunia (Petunia)

  • Length: up to 100 cm
  • flowers: simple, filled, funnel-shaped
  • Color: white, red, violet, pink, yellow, orange, multicolored
  • Leaves: dark green, entire, slightly hairy
  • Care: location in full sun, high water requirement, regular fertilizing promotes flowering
  • persistent flowering over the entire length

Slanted plate (Achimenes)

Source: Vinayaraj, Achimenes longif.webplora 05, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Length: up to 80 cm
  • Flowers: simple
  • Color: pink, violet
  • Leaves: ovate, tapering, serrate
  • Care: high water requirement, fertilize every 14 days
  • perennial
  • like dahlias as a rhizome overwinter frost-free

snowflake flower (Chaenostoma cordatum)

  • Length: up to 60 cm
  • flowers: simple, funnel-shaped
  • Colour: soft pink
  • Leaves: hairy, serrate, oval
  • Care: easy to care for, not sensitive to the weather

Notice: The snowflake flower is not yet widespread, but its easy-care properties make it an ideal plant when there is little time to care for it.

Split Flower (Schizanthus)

  • Length: up to 100 cm
  • flowers: simple, partly deeply slit
  • Color: white, violet, pink, mostly multicolored
  • leaves: pinnate
  • Care: prefer partial shade, prone to aphids
  • fast growing

Magic bells (Calibrachoa)

  • Length: 40 - 60 cm
  • flowers: funnel-shaped
  • Color: white, yellow, pink, violet, orange, blue, multicolor
  • Leaves: hairy, linear, tapering
  • Care: regular fertilizer application promotes flowering, sensitive to lime, keep moderately moist

Notice: The magic bell is not directly related to the petunia, although they have similar flower shapes. In terms of care, the magic bell is a little less demanding than the petunias.

Semi-hanging flowering plants

Blue Mauritius (Convolvulus sabatius)

Source: Krzysztof Golik, Convolvulus sabatius 'Blue Cascade' in Jardin des Plantes de Toulouse 01, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Length: 20-50cm
  • flowers: funnel-shaped
  • Colour blue
  • Leaves: oval
  • Care: low in lime, avoid waterlogging, fertilize regularly
  • expensive to care for
  • reacts sensitively to waterlogging

Blue fan flower (Scaevola aemula)

  • Length: 30 - 50 cm
  • flowers: fan-like
  • Colour: violet, blue
  • leaves: ovate
  • Care: nutrient-rich soil, keep slightly moist
  • fertilize every two to three weeks

Hanging Begonia (Begonia tuberhybrida)

  • Length: 20-30cm
  • flowers: simple to double
  • Color: white, yellow, pink, red
  • Leaves: fleshy, dark green, serrated at the edge
  • Care: nutrient-rich soil, permeable

Large periwinkle (Vinca major)

  • Length: up to 30 cm
  • flowers: small, funnel-shaped
  • Colour: blue-violet, white
  • Leaves: oval, leathery
  • Care: prefers shady locations, water regularly, fertilize moderately
  • belongs to the evergreen plant species
  • Protect root ball from frost

Loyal to men (Lobelia)

  • Length: 15-35cm
  • flowers: small, simple, dense
  • Color: blue, violet, white, multicolored
  • leaves: lanceolate
  • Care: cut back after the first flowering, lime-tolerant, nutrient-rich
  • suitable for partially shaded places

Drought resistant flowering plants

Blue daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia)

  • Length: 30 - 50 cm, upright habit
  • flowers: simple, similar to daisies
  • Color: blue, white, pink
  • leaves: fine, linear
  • Care: water moderately
  • Remove faded inflorescences regularly

Fuchsia (Fuchsia)

  • Length: up to 30 cm
  • flowers: bell-shaped, pendulous
  • Color: white, pink, violet, red, multicolored
  • leaves: lanceolate
  • Care: fertilize regularly, keep moderately moist, prefer sunny locations
  • only hanging varieties are suitable for hanging baskets

Purslane (Portulaca grandiflora)

  • Length: up to 20 cm, slightly overhanging
  • flowers: open, star-shaped
  • Color: white, pink, red, orange, multicolored
  • leaves: lanceolate, succulent
  • Care: fertilize moderately, water occasionally, need full sun
  • tolerates dry periods

Lantana (Lantana)

  • Length: up to 30 cm
  • flowers: simple, grouped in umbels
  • Color: white, pink, orange, red, multicolor
  • leaves: ovate, serrate
  • Care: prefers nutrient-rich soil, water moderately, tolerates lime
  • can be overwintered cool

Hussar button (Sanvitalia procumbens)

  • Length: 15 - 20 cm, forms cushions
  • Flowers: simple
  • Color yellow
  • Leaves: oval
  • Care: Water and fertilize moderately
  • tolerates full sun

Bidens (Bidens ferulifolia)

  • Length: 15 - 30 cm, forms more of a cushion
  • Flowers: simple
  • Color yellow
  • leaves: pinnate
  • Care: humus-rich substrate, fertilize regularly, water moderately

green plants

Ivy (Hedera helix)

  • Length: several meters, without pruning
  • flowers: simple, grouped in umbels
  • Colour: light green to yellowish
  • leaves: three-lobed
  • Care: keep moderately moist, fertilize the substrate regularly

Tip: Multicolored ivy species are particularly suitable for the hanging basket. They are perennial and easy to overwinter outdoors.

Ivy (Epipremnum pinnatum)

  • Length: up to 200 cm
  • flowers: rarely blooms
  • Color white
  • Leaves: ovate tapering, green-yellow
  • Care: Avoid waterlogging, is also suitable as a houseplant

Notice: If the dryness persists, spray the ivy with low-lime water, whether it is outdoors or cultivated as a houseplant in winter.

Antler fern (Platycerium bifurcatum)

  • Length: up to 100 cm
  • flowers: does not form a flower
  • Color: -
  • leaves: antler-like
  • Care: sensitive to lime, needs slightly acidic soil, moderately nutritious
  • suitable for semi-shady to shady locations

Candlestick (Ceropegia woodii)

Source: Engeser, Ceropegia linearis ssp. woodii2, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Length: up to 100 cm
  • Flowers: small single flowers, rarely flowers
  • Color: Multicolour
  • Leaves: heart-shaped, dainty, green-whitish
  • Care: needs a nutrient-rich substrate, water moderately

Zebra weed (Tradescantia zebrina)

  • Length: up to 30 cm
  • Flowers: small single flowers, cup-shaped, rarely flowers
  • Color: white, pink
  • Leaves: Oval, tapering, striped green and white
  • Care: sensitive to lime, high nutrient requirement, semi-shade preferred
  • suitable as a houseplant
  • slow growth

crops

Pear Melon (Solanum muricatum)

  • Length: up to 30 cm
  • flowers: simple, slightly funnel-shaped
  • Colour: white to blue
  • Leaves: narrow, tapering, dark green
  • Care: needs full sun, a sheltered location is an advantage, water regularly and thoroughly
  • suitable for fresh consumption

Hanging Strawberries (Fragaria)

Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
  • Length: up to 20 cm
  • Flowers: simple
  • Color white
  • Leaves: tripartite, serrated
  • Care: full sun, water and fertilize regularly
  • choose varieties that will bear several times

Large nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

  • Length: up to 50 cm
  • flowers: funnel-shaped, rarely double
  • Colour: orange, red
  • leaves: lobed
  • Care: sunny to semi-shady, high water requirement, fertilize every four weeks
  • susceptible to aphids

frequently asked Questions

Do plants always have to be hanging in the hanging basket?

No, plants like the hussar's head are ideal traffic light plants that require little care. They do not grow overhanging, but can be combined very well with other hanging plant species.

How to overwinter perennial traffic light plants?

Plants in the hanging basket that are frost-resistant should be removed in autumn. The plants come on an insulating base, such as a board or a styrofoam plate. Perennial plants that are not frost-resistant are overwintered in a sheltered place indoors. In winter, make sure to water the plants outdoors on frost-free days.

Do I have to cut plants in the hanging basket?

Some species benefit from pruning after the first flowering. Varieties such as the petunia are continuous bloomers, from which you pluck off as many flowers as possible. However, you can trim plants like ivy if they get too long for you.

Category:

Garden plants