Creating Eye-Catching Hanging Baskets

Creating Eye-Catching Hanging Baskets

Just like the right accessories can totally change the look of an outfit, hanging baskets can do the same for your yard!

Raili Nieznanski with Estrada Farms shares some ideas for making the most of hanging baskets.


There is a built-in portability and changeability to hanging baskets. They are relatively small containers, requiring only a few plants to fill them at minimal expense. They are not planted permanently into the landscape, so they can be easily moved and swapped out, updated and changed, depending on the look you are trying to achieve in your yard.

Maybe you need to decorate for a special event like a wedding or baby shower. Maybe you have a favorite color in your landscape that you really want to highlight. Or maybe you take your holiday decorating very seriously. Look to hanging baskets for a solution to all these needs.

And here are four ideas for getting the biggest impact out of your hanging baskets.

Choose to fill your baskets with only one type of flower. Cram it full. Let that flower be the star of the show. Perhaps have two or three different shades of just petunias, or one gloriously tropical begonia. Whether a single basket as a focal point, or a series of identical baskets, focusing on a single flower will make a big impact.

Choose to fill your baskets with only one color. Maybe it’s your favorite color. Maybe it’s the main color from the bride’s color scheme. Maybe it’s pink for a girl or blue for a boy. Or maybe there is one color in your landscape that you want to highlight. Even if you mix it up with several different flowers all the same color, a strong, focused color statement will always get people’s attention.

Try something new. Generally speaking, hanging baskets are filled with annuals because we want the instant color and immediate growth that annuals provide. But don’t be afraid to look beyond traditional annuals for your baskets. For example, one of the biggest issues with hanging baskets is keeping them watered enough. The smaller container and 360 degree exposure allows for rapid evaporation and creates a need for frequent watering. Unless… try filling a basket with succulents. Succulents, like cactus, store water in their think juicy leaves and require very minimal amounts of water. Although some succulents do have blooms, the interest in this basket will come primarily from variations in color and texture in the foliage. It will be eye-catching because it is unique and different. And it will save you time and worry because it doesn’t need a lot of water.

Take it Over the Top. Why not? Let’s just face it, we all love parties and holidays. And decorating for the holiday is at least half the fun. Show your patriotism with baskets full of red, white, and blue. Or skip the flowers and fill your basket with dozens of mini flags. Or… take advantage of the last holiday of the year when you can still get outside and use flowers… Halloween!

Halloween offers an opportunity for a quirky and unusual color scheme that will be sure to get all the moms attention even if the kids don’t notice. Try nearly black pansies or petunias (annuals come back strong when the weather cools off a bit) mixed with yellow or orange marigolds and chartreuse green potato vine for a spooky blend. And look for flowers with unusual shapes that hang or spike, creating an interesting silhouette.

INSIDER TIPS FOR HANGING BASKETS

When thinking about hanging baskets, a little pre-planning helps a lot. Try to plant your hanging baskets a minimum of 2 or 3 weeks before a special event so they have time to fill in and fill out. Baskets that are so full that you can hardly see the pot are quite stunning. If you’re pinched for time but still want that lush, full look, consider using a wire basket with a fiber liner and cut slits in the liner below the rim and insert additional plants around the sides of the basket.

Most hanging baskets are filled with annuals, simply because we want that instant gratification of growth and color that you don’t get with perennials. And annuals allow us to change our mind without feeling guilty. You may notice that annuals seem to struggle a bit during the hottest parts of the summer. Don’t give up. Annuals come back strong when the evenings start to cool a bit and will carry you through the first snow fall. Just give them a little trim to encourage new growth and blooming. If your baskets are looking a little worn out, think about swapping out some plants that aren’t doing so well with new, fresh ones. This also gives you the opportunity to update the color scheme for a special event or the change of seasons.

Most annuals are sun loving, and lots of porches create more shade for your baskets than you might think. If your baskets don’t seem to bloom as much as you’d like, think about taking them down and setting them in a spot where they will get full sun all day long, maybe twice a week…especially before a special event when you want them to look their best.

Finally, try a blooming and rooting additive when you water your baskets, especially after you first plant them. This will encourage the roots to grow and tell the plants that they should set new blossoms. You don’t need to use it every time you water, but once a week is good.

Any small container can be turned into a hanging basket. The container itself can be the statement. Be

creative.

Featured Baskets

Begonia Basket

Dragonwing Red Begonia

Succulent Basket

Hens & Chicks – Sempervivum or Echeveria

Portulaca

Ice Plant

Sedum – Stonecrop

Purslane – Rio Scarlet

Kalanchoe – Silver Grey

Purple Basket

Torenia – Clown burgundy

Angelonia

Calibrachoa – Mini Famous and Aloha Purple

Verbena –

African Daisy

Gomphrena – Gnome Pink

Sweet Potato vine – Pink Frost

Halloween Basket

Petunia – Black Velvet

Dracaena – Purple

Marigolds – Orange

Sweet Potato vine – chartreuse green



Estrada Farms is a retail nursery and garden shop catering to the home gardener and do-it-yourself home landscaper. In addition, we offer special pricing for landscapers and other commercial projects. Whenever possible, our plants and hard goods come from local Utah growers and businesses. We support Utah first and are a member of Local First Utah.

Our unique location in the center of a growing residential area provides us with unique opportunities and responsibilities. Besides providing a variety of high-quality plant and gardening products and services to our friends and neighbors, we want to offer our location as the center for community events and activities.

Date Night at Estrada Farms offers a discount to groups of 30 or more and allows private access either an hour before opening or an hour after closing. Neighborhood HOA groups, church groups, clubs, and other groups can benefit from this group discount and private access.

Party at the Farm Does your family, book club, food club, church group, or other social organization want a unique venue for a meeting or party? Consider Estrada Farms. What could be better than being surrounded by beautiful lush plants as your interact and entertain.

Estrada Farms Community Garden allows those living in condos or apartments the opportunity to garden as a family and enjoy the fresh, home-grown produce not usually available to them.

We are working on gathering together local Utah farmers for a truly local Utah Farmers’ Market that focuses on locally grown produce rather than crafts and concessions.

In the fall we intend to offer a Pumpkin Patch including other fun fall activities for families at a reasonable price. School and church groups can book special times to visit with group discount pricing.

Winter activities will include music events and outdoor winter recreation.

Estrada Farms Garden Shop & Nursery

1133 W. 3200 N., Lehi, UT 84043

(801) 766-3354

www.estradafarmsnursery.com

estradafarms@hotmail.com

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