PLANT SUCCULENTS IN YOUR HANGING BASKETS

Try succulents for an easy to maintain hanging garden

Hanging baskets filled with colorful annuals can be beautiful, but they require constant attention and water. Traditional hanging baskets with cascades of fuchsias in bright pink and magenta have been hung along the roof overhangs of many porches. They are watered and fed, groomed and deadheaded daily to keep them vibrant and fresh.

I always loved the look of these baskets, but long ago realized that my busy lifestyle does not allow me to care for them properly. There were many times when I was gone for a few days and the blooms and vines shriveled from lack of water.

I have discovered the solution: Plant baskets with different, less thirsty types of plants—ones that don’t require such frequent care, will stay verdant despite a bit of benign neglect, and will elicit as many “oohs and aahs” as the most spectacular Fuchsia packed basket.

I have found that succulents—senecios, trailing jades, burro’s tails, and echeverias—as well as rhipsalis and staghorn ferns thrive in hanging baskets with minimal effort. Most of these varieties flourish with moderate feeding and watering, some judicious pruning, and, in the case of the staghorn ferns, a good spray bath every now and then.

When selecting baskets, choose sturdy steel ones with strong chains (avoid any made out of plastic or flimsy wire, which can break), and line them first with beautiful moss, then with coconut coir, which will hold water and won’t rot like straw or wicker will.

Follow these steps and soon you will have a low fuss hanging garden that you can enjoy for years to come.

1. Prep your basket

Place an old towel in the base of a low, wide garden pot. This will help keep the round-bottomed wire basket steady while you’re planting.

2. Line with moss

Begin by filling the basket with sheet or sphagnum moss, green side facing out. Be careful to cover the space fully, so there are no gaps or holes. This creates a beautiful basket when seen from all angles.

3. Trim the basket liner

Using sharp scissors or pruners, cut a coconut coir liner to fit neatly inside the basket. You don’t want to see any of the liner over the top.

4. Scoop in soil

Add potting mix, leaving room for the plants (so it’s about two-thirds full). We use a blend especially made for containers: Miracle-Gro Organic™ Outdoor Potting Mix.

5. Add plants

Pot up the basket with succulents, like this trailing jade (Kleinia petraea, also known as Senecio jacobsenii). Fill in with additional soil, as you would when planting a regular container.