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Hanging Planter Ideas
When choosing plants for hanging planters, planter boxes, or window
planters you should do a little research a little before you select the
type of plants – this way you will get plants that will thrive in their
new homes vs. plants that will be lack luster.
Almost any of the small vines, or trailers like wandering Jew, trailing
petunias, begonias, and ivy geraniums will all do beautifully.
 Here
are some good plants - both common and some a little off beat but still
great performers in planters for you to consider.
Geraniums
Upright geraniums often are depended upon to furnish the bulk of bloom
for many types of planters. Also consider Ivy Geraniums with their
cascading habit – they are great performers in hanging planters.
More on Geranium Hanging Planters
Asparagus Fern
With wonderful feathery green branches asparagus ferns are a great
choice for if you want to add green to your window box or hanging
planter.
Seldom bothered with pests unless the season is exceptionally hot and
dry, then it may become infested with red spider.
If you have old plants left over, you can divide them with a sharp
knife, potting up the pieces of long white tubers and foliage in 4-inch
pots of greenhouse soil. They also make wonderful hanging basket plants
for the patio or greenhouse.
Wax Begonia
Wax begonia with there shiny leaves and white, pink, red and many new
color breaks in their flowers – now also available in doubles are great
in hanging planters.
Equally good for window boxes are the hanging basket types of
tuberous-rooted begonias. The single or double flowers range from white
and yellow through pink, salmon, and red – Tuberous begonias are best
suited for planters in sheltered shady spots. More on
Wax Begonias in Hanging Planters.
Dracaena
Many gardeners think of dracaena as a house plant but it makes a good
tough item for outdoor planter especially in summer.
Another bonus is when summer season has finished, it can be dug up,
potted, and used as a house plant.
Heliotrope
The dwarf form of heliotrope, with its heads of blue or white flowers,
makes a wonderful plant for window box or hanging planter (and is fine
also for bedding or as an accent plant).
More on Heliotrope in
Hanging Baskets.
Hoya Carnosa
Often called the wax plant or Swedish ivy, this plant with its heavy,
glossy, green or variegated leaves and huge clusters of waxy white or
pink flowers makes a marvelous summer window box plant. And it, too,
serves double duty. In the fall it can be brought into the house and
used in a hanging basket or trained up the side of a window.
Pandanus
Here’s another plant which doubles for both hanging planters and indoor
garden. The green foliage is bordered or striped with white or yellow.
Thunbergia
Although generally reserved for greenhouse decoration, thunbergia makes
a good trailer for the window box or hanging planter.
Its flowers, produced freely throughout the summer, are white, cream,
orange red, and in shades of blue-purple.
Thunbergia is also called the “clock vine”
Wishbone Plant (Torenia)
Small gloxinia-like flowers in white and yellow, plain yellow, or blue
and white, and tiny green leaves, plus a trailing habit when grown in
partial shade, make the wishbone plant unusual material for the window
box, planter, or hanging basket.
In warmer areas of the country, this one is handled as many northern
gardeners handle pansies.
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