8 Best Hanging Basket Flowers for a Beautiful Garden

Our Favorite Hanging Basket Flowers

1. Petunias

Traditional basketeers head straight for the petunias section of their local garden cen­ter when the season rolls in.

These plants have come a long way: Wave petunias rushed the scene in the 1990s, to be followed by the equally productive and newly improved Supertunias in 2006. The momentum to add all sorts of colors continues, with hues not often found in the plant kingdom­ such as those of neon kaleidoscope Crazytu­nias, velvety black (with yellow star pattern) Phantoms, and every shade in between. Gaping, open-face, trumpet-like flowers bloom and engulf the foliage, with flower production going on and on.

The new versions show well: They are self­ cleaning (spent flowers do not linger on the plant), but look close, and you’ll see that the flower stems remain. Make time for pampering; these pieces lift off easily when plucked. Oh, and petunias often become leggy in mid­ summer; give your plant a quick pruning to prompt new growth.

Finally, keep the water coming as if their life depends on it—because it might. Petunias are beloved and put on a good show, but don’t be fooled by their flamboyance.

2. Million Bells

‘Million Bells’ (a calibrachoa, pronounced CAL-i-bra-KO-ah) is the current crowd-pleaser. The name says it all: This is a prolific bloomer of 1-inch, bell-shaped flowers, usually in two-tone hues, that spill forth on cascading stems.

With its small, tidy, light green leaves, a ‘Million Bells’ basket looks like somebody made it by shrinking the petunia and reintroducing it in an explosive array of color combinations. Aside from a preference for bright light, ‘Million Bells’ makes no demands. Calibrachoa will survive if you forget to water occasionally (but not often). It doesn’t need deadheading or grooming to look ravishing. You can keep it hanging around and feel like a millionaire.

3. Mandevillas

Searching for something exotic? Imagine a basket spilling with rambling vines producing large trumpets in varying shades of bicolor, red and white, pink, red, white, or yellow!

For all of this, you need only one robust mandevilla. These full-sun flowers are stoic. They rarely wilt and tolerate heat waves and heavy rains equally well.

Your only task is to weave and guide this plant’s energetic, wayward branches - but only if you want to. Left alone, this rambler will wind its wispy limbs around whatever is nearby (porch columns, stair railings, chairs), which can be charming if you like a look of wild abandon.

4. Pelargoniums (aka Ivy and Zonal Geraniums)

A performer as durable, reliable, and cheerful as pelargoniums is bound to be recruited into a hanging basket. The original hanging plant members of this family had ivy-shape leaves, a trailing habit, and quantities of lacy-petal flowers. Ever eager to make a good thing better, breeders worked on the foliage to make it more like that of the round-leaf, blossom-studded zonal geraniums that adorn window boxes of post offices throughout the land. (“Zonal” refers to the horseshoe markings on the leaves of original varieties, but few zonal geraniums still bear these.) 

Breeders also boosted the blossoms, expanding the petals for a denser display and increasing the petal color range to now include white as well as bi­ color, orange, purple, red, and salmon-so much more to love!

In terms of care, it doesn’t get any easier than pelargoniums. If you forget to water, they can endure for a while, and they tolerate heat, chills, storms, and blasting sunshine without a whimper. A little TLC to remove spent flower umbels will keep them looking their best and dutifully fulfilling their reputation for spreading joy.

5. Impatiens

To instantly brighten up a shady porch or overhang, enlist an impatiens basket. Envision electric colors (or subdued ones, if you are so inclined) that add a spark to your scene without a lot of fuss.

Whether you choose a traditional Busy Lizzie (aka Impatiens walleriana) or seek out the reputedly heat­ and humidity-tolerant New Guinea hybrid impatiens (don’t miss the Roller Coaster series, with wavy­ petal flowers!), you’ll get an orb bursting with blossoms all season long.

You’ll also be grateful for this beauty’s self-cleaning habit. Just be aware, though, that these are all fairly thirsty and hungry plants. An impatiens will put on its finest performance when it is watered regularly and balanced fertilizer is applied every 2 weeks.

6. Boston Ferns

Simple elegance sometimes out­ shines flowers in a basket. In this case, nothing beats Boston ferns.

These massive pteridophytes form a rounded display of lacy fronds that shout sophistication. All they want is shade and attention to watering - oh, and to be eased into your world. Acclimate your Boston fern to summer by keeping it in a protected area for a couple of weeks before setting it up in a suitably shady place.

A hanging Boston fern will resist reasonable breezes; if the wind causes its basket to swing, provide protection. A Boston fern can be expensive and short-lived: Few overwinter well in the average home, and they definitely prefer the warmth and humidity of a greenhouse. But nothing good comes easy, right?

7. Begonias

When first impressions count, count on begonias. The most striking are tuberous begonias that perform only in summer and then slip into dormancy for winter. These are suffused in large flowers in a range of colors-combinations of whites and blush shades, yellows, salmons, oranges, and flaming reds-nestled in pointed round or oval foliage.

As long as this eye candy is kept consistently cool and shaded, its show will go on. For easy care, try the draping Dragon Wing begonia types, with long shiny leaves and waxy peach or red blossoms in profusion. They tolerate more light and do not die when cool weather inevitably arrives; these go dormant, so store the tubers to re-grow the following year.

8. Fuchsias

If you prefer unusual hanging basket flowers in profusion, fetch a fuchsia. Each flower is a work of art, with pendulous flared upper sepals above skirtlike petals surrounding exposed stamens and pistils - these are among nature’s magnificent mysteries. A single flower is remarkable, but when dozens of these exquisite purple and red blossoms fall forth from a basket, you’ve got a conversation piece.

Fuchsias can be finicky: They like to be kept evenly moist. Also, their preference for shade is non-negotiable; a few hours of cool, early morning light will be tolerated, but hot noon or afternoon sun beating down on their profuse flowers may do it in.

Fuchsias bask in light breezes, but whip­ping gusts can be damaging. Provide for their needs, and these summer celebrities will return a sensational season.

Love hanging plants? Check out our article on the best INDOOR hanging plants, too!