Ideas & advice
Plain-English help with hanging baskets - choosing them, hanging them safely and keeping them looking good. Written for UK gardens.
What this library is: every guide we have written about choosing, hanging, filling and looking after a hanging basket, sorted into 8 shelves. Start with a pillar guide if you are new, or jump to the shelf that matches your question. We sell the hardware and the artificial displays - the planting advice is here because it is what people actually want to know.
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Eight shelves. Pick the one that matches your question.
- Buyer's GuideChoosing a basket: size, material, where it will hang and what it will cost.6 guides
- Planting & How-ToLining, filling, planting and hanging - the practical steps, in order.5 guides
- Seasonal DisplaysWinter, autumn and Christmas displays, and what to do between seasons.5 guides
- Best Plants & Flowers for BasketsWhat actually thrives in a basket, by position, season and how much sun it gets.3 guides
- Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersBrackets, hooks, chains, stands and liners - fitting them so they hold.4 guides
- Artificial Hanging BasketsFaux baskets and flowers: what looks convincing, what fades, and where they win.3 guides
- Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorBalconies, walls, fences and indoors - hanging things where there is no garden.4 guides
- Care, Watering & FAQsWatering, feeding, cleaning and storing, plus the questions people actually ask.4 guides
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Long-form, no-nonsense guides that cover the whole topic.
Artificial Hanging Baskets: The Full UK Guide
Artificial hanging baskets give year-round colour with no watering, feeding or deadheading. Quality UV-stable displays hold their colour…
Read the guide → Best Plants & Flowers for BasketsThe Best Flowers for Hanging Baskets
The most reliable flowers for a UK basket are petunias, trailing lobelia, calibrachoa, fuchsias, geraniums and bacopa. Match sun-lovers such as…
Read the guide → Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersHanging Baskets and Brackets: The Complete Fixings Guide
Match the bracket to the watered weight of the basket, not the empty weight. A planted 35cm basket can top 10kg, so use a wall bracket rated…
Read the guide → Buyer's Guide & Buying AdviceHanging Baskets: The Complete UK Buyer's Guide
A hanging basket display is four parts: the basket, a liner, a secure bracket or hook, and the filling. Choose 25-30cm for balconies, 35cm for…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToHanging Plants for Hanging Baskets: The Full Guide
Build a basket from three plant roles: one upright centrepiece, bushy fillers around it and trailing plants at the rim. Use 5 to 6 plants in a…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysSeasonal Hanging Basket Displays: Winter, Autumn and All-Year Colour
Seasonal displays keep a doorway alive all year. Hang winter baskets in October or November, switch to fresh colour in late spring, bring in…
Read the guide →Latest
The 12 newest pieces across every shelf.
How to stop a hanging basket spinning in the wind
Most spinning comes from a swivel in the hanging point, long or uneven chains, or an open hook. Swap the swivel for a fixed ring or closed hook, short…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideRattan & modern hanging baskets styling
Rattan and woven baskets bring natural texture to modern exteriors that are otherwise flat render and grey frames. Keep the palette narrow, repeat one…
Read the guide → Care, Watering & FAQsBest watering can for baskets
For baskets above head height, a long-spout can or a watering lance that attaches to a hose is what works. The limiting factor is weight - a full larg…
Read the guide → Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorWall-mounted hanging baskets
A wall-mounted basket has a flat back and fixes directly to the wall rather than hanging from a bracket. It projects less, does not swing in wind, and…
Read the guide → Artificial Hanging BasketsArtificial flowering & floral baskets
Flowers are the hardest part of an artificial display to make convincing, because real petals vary in colour and sit at different stages. Choose displ…
Read the guide → Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersWhere to buy brackets — Screwfix & alternatives
Trade counters are best for fixings and heavy-duty steel, DIY sheds for buying today, garden centres for decorative brackets, and online for range and…
Read the guide → Best Plants & Flowers for BasketsFuchsias in hanging baskets
Trailing fuchsias are among the best hanging basket plants there are, particularly for part shade where petunias struggle. Buy trailing rather than up…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysAutumn basket plants
Autumn baskets run on heucheras, small ornamental grasses, cyclamen, winter pansies and violas, trailing ivy, and berrying shrubs such as skimmia or g…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToCompost & feed for baskets
Use a compost made for containers rather than garden soil, which compacts and drains badly. Mix in water-retaining granules and slow-release feed at p…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideMetal vs wicker vs plastic baskets
Metal wire frames are strong, light and need a liner. Wicker and rattan look best and last longest under cover rather than in the weather. Plastic is…
Read the guide → Care, Watering & FAQsSelf-watering baskets explained
A self-watering basket has a reservoir in the base that wicks water up as the compost dries. It lengthens the gap between waterings rather than removi…
Read the guide → Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorIndoor plant hanging baskets styling
Hang in odd numbers at different heights rather than a row at one level, use corners and stairwells that nothing else occupies, and keep the planters…
Read the guide →Buyer's Guide
Choosing a basket: size, material, where it will hang and what it will cost.
Rattan & modern hanging baskets styling
Rattan and woven baskets bring natural texture to modern exteriors that are otherwise flat render and grey frames. Keep the palette narrow, repeat one…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideMetal vs wicker vs plastic baskets
Metal wire frames are strong, light and need a liner. Wicker and rattan look best and last longest under cover rather than in the weather. Plastic is…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideSmall hanging baskets for tight spaces
Small usually means 30cm or under. They suit balconies, narrow porches and anywhere you walk past, and they weigh far less watered. The trade-off is t…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideLarge & big hanging baskets guide
Large usually means 40cm and upward across the rim. The extra size gives a fuller display and holds water longer, but a big basket watered is heavy en…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideBest hanging baskets 2026
The best hanging baskets for 2026 balance three things: a frame that survives British weather, a fixing rated well above the basket's watered…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideWhere to buy hanging baskets in the UK
You can buy hanging baskets from garden centres, DIY sheds, markets and specialist online shops. Garden centres win on browsing, but a…
Read the guide →Planting & How-To
Lining, filling, planting and hanging - the practical steps, in order.
Compost & feed for baskets
Use a compost made for containers rather than garden soil, which compacts and drains badly. Mix in water-retaining granules and slow-release feed at p…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToHow to hang a basket safely
Work from the watered weight rather than the empty one, choose a bracket rated well above it, fix it appropriately for your wall, and hang it where yo…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToHow to plant a hanging basket step-by-step
Sit the basket in a bucket to steady it, fit the liner, part-fill with compost, plant the sides through the liner first, then the top, then water thor…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToBest trailing plants for hanging baskets
The best trailing plants for a hanging basket are trailing lobelia, ivy-leaved pelargoniums, bacopa, calibrachoa, trailing fuchsias and ivy, all…
Read the guide → Planting & How-ToHow to line a hanging basket
To line a hanging basket, sit the liner inside the open wire frame, trim it flush with the rim, pierce a few drainage holes if it is solid, then…
Read the guide →Seasonal Displays
Winter, autumn and Christmas displays, and what to do between seasons.
Autumn basket plants
Autumn baskets run on heucheras, small ornamental grasses, cyclamen, winter pansies and violas, trailing ivy, and berrying shrubs such as skimmia or g…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysAutumn hanging baskets
Autumn baskets go in around September, using foliage colour, berries and hardy bedding rather than summer flowers. It is the easiest season to get rig…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysWinter hanging basket plants
Winter baskets work on structure and foliage rather than flowers, with evergreens, ivy, small conifers and hardy bedding doing the work. Expect slower…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysChristmas hanging baskets
A Christmas hanging basket pairs evergreen texture with festive accents: faux fir, eucalyptus, red berries, pine cones and warm-white battery…
Read the guide → Seasonal DisplaysWinter hanging baskets
Winter hanging baskets work when you pick tough plants such as pansies, violas, ivy and heather, or skip the gamble with an artificial winter…
Read the guide →Best Plants & Flowers for Baskets
What actually thrives in a basket, by position, season and how much sun it gets.
Fuchsias in hanging baskets
Trailing fuchsias are among the best hanging basket plants there are, particularly for part shade where petunias struggle. Buy trailing rather than up…
Read the guide → Best Plants & Flowers for BasketsPetunias in hanging baskets
Petunias want full sun, regular feeding and consistent water, and they will flower until the frosts if deadheaded. Trailing types and surfinias are th…
Read the guide → Best Plants & Flowers for BasketsBest flowering hanging basket plants
The reliable performers are petunias and surfinias, fuchsias, begonias, geraniums, lobelia and bacopa, chosen by how much sun the spot gets. Match the…
Read the guide →Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & Liners
Brackets, hooks, chains, stands and liners - fitting them so they hold.
How to stop a hanging basket spinning in the wind
Most spinning comes from a swivel in the hanging point, long or uneven chains, or an open hook. Swap the swivel for a fixed ring or closed hook, short…
Read the guide → Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersWhere to buy brackets — Screwfix & alternatives
Trade counters are best for fixings and heavy-duty steel, DIY sheds for buying today, garden centres for decorative brackets, and online for range and…
Read the guide → Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersHeavy-duty brackets for big baskets
A heavy-duty bracket has thicker steel, a deeper wall plate and usually two or three fixing points rather than one. You need one when the basket is 40…
Read the guide → Brackets, Hooks, Chains, Stands & LinersChoosing brackets for hanging baskets
Match three things: the bracket's reach to the basket's diameter, its rated load to the watered weight, and the fixings to your wall type. A bracket t…
Read the guide →Read the brackets, hooks, chains, stands & liners pillar guide
Artificial Hanging Baskets
Faux baskets and flowers: what looks convincing, what fades, and where they win.
Artificial flowering & floral baskets
Flowers are the hardest part of an artificial display to make convincing, because real petals vary in colour and sit at different stages. Choose displ…
Read the guide → Artificial Hanging BasketsBest artificial baskets for outdoors
Outdoor artificial baskets need UV-treated foliage, a frame that drains so rain does not sit in it, and enough weight or a secure fixing to cope with…
Read the guide → Artificial Hanging BasketsFaux hanging baskets that look real
Convincing artificial displays vary in colour rather than being one flat green, have a matt rather than shiny finish, and trail long enough to break t…
Read the guide →Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & Indoor
Balconies, walls, fences and indoors - hanging things where there is no garden.
Wall-mounted hanging baskets
A wall-mounted basket has a flat back and fixes directly to the wall rather than hanging from a bracket. It projects less, does not swing in wind, and…
Read the guide → Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorIndoor plant hanging baskets styling
Hang in odd numbers at different heights rather than a row at one level, use corners and stairwells that nothing else occupies, and keep the planters…
Read the guide → Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorIndoor hanging baskets guide
Indoors the fixing is the hard part - a ceiling hook must go into a joist or a rated anchor, never plasterboard alone. Choose plants for the light the…
Read the guide → Small-Space, Balcony, Wall & IndoorSmall-space & balcony basket ideas
On a balcony or in a small flat, the space you have is vertical - railings, walls, ceilings and the backs of doors. Railing planters and tension or cl…
Read the guide →Care, Watering & FAQs
Watering, feeding, cleaning and storing, plus the questions people actually ask.
Best watering can for baskets
For baskets above head height, a long-spout can or a watering lance that attaches to a hose is what works. The limiting factor is weight - a full larg…
Read the guide → Care, Watering & FAQsSelf-watering baskets explained
A self-watering basket has a reservoir in the base that wicks water up as the compost dries. It lengthens the gap between waterings rather than removi…
Read the guide → Care, Watering & FAQsBest watering systems for baskets
For one or two baskets, a long-spout can and a pulley hook are enough. For several, or for anywhere you cannot reach easily, a drip irrigation kit on…
Read the guide → Care, Watering & FAQsHanging basket care & watering guide
A hanging basket dries out faster than any other container because it is exposed on every side. Water in the early morning or the evening rather than…
Read the guide →