How to Keep Hanging Baskets Beautiful All Summer

Once gardening grabs hold of your heart, you'll want to fill your slice of earth with plants that tell the world what you love and who you are. When you set your imagination free, the sky's literally the limit. Lush, beautiful hanging baskets add a new dimension to your plants and your gardening, especially when you garden with limited space.

Outdoor hanging baskets aren't hard to keep beautiful, but they do require some extra attention that earthbound gardens and container plants don't need. But that extra TLC is part of the fun and satisfaction when you go skyward with your vertical gardening dreams. These simple steps are all you need:

1. Match Your Location to Your Plants and Basket

2. Water With Lush Flowers and Foliage in Mind

3. Feed Hanging Baskets for Bigger, Better Blooms

When you start your own hanging basket, you can choose whatever material you want.

1. Match Your Location to Your Plants and Basket

It's hard to ignore the appeal of hanging baskets that overflow with vibrant color and breathtaking blooms. Some plants, like begonias or shade-loving coleus, prefer to hang out away from direct sun on a porch, under an awning, or in a spot that only gets morning light.

But if a riot of sun-loving flowers and colorful vining blooms is what you have in mind for your vertical garden basket, a sunny site is essential. The more sunlight your hanging basket gets, the more blooms you can expect.

Hanging baskets can also be home to vegetables and herbs, from homegrown tomatoes and sweet strawberries to organic peppermint and organic culinary basil blends — either mixed with flowers or grown solo. If fruits or veggies are on your hanging basket hope list, choose a spot with abundant sun.

If you buy a premade hanging basket, make sure the container has plenty of drainage holes so it will drain well once it's hung. If you're planting your own basket, bravo! You can choose natural-looking options like mossy baskets and coco-fiber liners or go for plastic baskets in any color you desire.

Whatever basket you choose, fill it with a premium potting soil mix designed for container gardens and hanging baskets. Mixes that work together in harmony with nature help keep your baskets looking their best. Ingredients such as sustainably sourced peat and water-holding crystals help support moisture retention and help hanging baskets thrive, no matter what you grow.

With sun and wind from all sides, hanging baskets need water daily.

2. Water With Lush Flowers and Foliage in Mind

If container gardening is already in your wheelhouse, then you know that soil in above-ground containers dries out faster than the protected soil in your garden beds. With outdoor hanging baskets, as with all types of vertical gardens, the dry-out potential gets magnified because your plants are exposed to sun and wind on every side.

In summer months, when your beautiful basket is at its peak, you'll probably need to water every day. Larger hanging baskets hold more soil and moisture, so they take longer to dry out. If you choose a wire basket with a natural liner, your soil will dry out faster than soil in a plastic pot, so adjust your watering schedule to fit.

To confirm the need for water, stick your index finger a few inches down in the soil. If the soil mix feels cool and wet, you're good. If not, water your hanging basket until the water runs through it. As long as your basket container drains well, don't worry about overwatering.

Watering early in the morning helps your hanging basket meet the day well-hydrated and ready for the sun and wind. Turn your basket periodically throughout the season so every side can bask in the sun.

Well-fed hanging baskets mean bigger, better blooms.

3. Feed Hanging Baskets for Bigger, Better Blooms

Whether you go for blooms, veggies or both in your hanging basket gardens, keeping plants well-fed is the key to season-long productivity and beauty. Hanging baskets and other forms of vertical gardening often rely on a very limited amount of soil, so nutrients can get eaten up quickly. Plus, frequent watering can cause nutrients to leach out of your soil before your plants have time to feed.

Whether you plant your basket yourself or bring one home from your favorite garden center, take time to set the groundwork for good nutrition all season long. Pennington Rejuvenate All Purpose Food 4-4-4  provides your plants with essential nutrients in a blend of organic and natural ingredients that revitalize soil and help plants thrive.

If fruits and veggies are your thing, go for Pennington Rejuvenate Plant Food Tomato & Vegetable 4-5-4, designed specifically with edibles in mind. On top of the nutrients, premium Pennington Rejuvenate plant foods also include beneficial microorganisms, earthworm castings and humic acids to nourish plants from the inside out and help strengthen them against stress and drought.

Throughout the season, Pennington Water Soluble All-Purpose Plant Food 20-10-20 provides your hanging basket with instant feeding for the abundant fruits and blooms that fill your dreams. Follow label instructions, and just mix it in every 7 to 14 days when you water to give your baskets a boost. (You'll find the measuring scoop waiting for you inside the jar.)

 At Pennington, we're here to help you create gardens that uniquely reflect who you are, from your first flower garden to going vertical with hanging basket gardens in the sky. Have questions about gardens, plants or gardening? We'd love to hear from you. Let us help you nurture your roots.