https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/ Plain-English hanging basket guides for UK homes: choosing baskets, brackets and fixings, planting, seasonal displays, artificial baskets and watering. en-gb Mon, 02 Nov 2026 11:01:13 +0000 https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/artificial-plant-baskets-for-shade-indoors/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/artificial-plant-baskets-for-shade-indoors/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000A dark corner, a high stairwell or a north-facing room gives a living plant less light than it needs, and faux is the only thing that will look good there long term. Indoors, choose fabric-petal displays with varied leaf shapes and keep them dusted. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/hanging-basket-stands-explained/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/hanging-basket-stands-explained/Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000A basket stand holds a basket without drilling anything, which suits rented homes, patios, unknown walls and shared boundaries. Look for a wide base or ground spike, a reach that clears the diameter, and enough weight or anchoring to cope with wind. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/scented-plants-for-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/scented-plants-for-baskets/Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Scented petunias, heliotrope, nemesia, trailing thyme and scented-leaf geraniums are the ones that carry in a basket. Hang them at head height near a door, window or seating area, and choose a sheltered spot - wind removes scent before you reach it. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/summer-show-stopper-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/summer-show-stopper-baskets/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000A show-stopper needs a large basket, generous side planting so it reads as a ball rather than a bowl, a restrained two-colour palette, and a feeding routine from six weeks. Size and side planting do more than plant choice ever will. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/indoor-hanging-basket-planting/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/indoor-hanging-basket-planting/Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Indoors, use a planter with a removable inner pot or a sealed base with a drainage layer, because water on a floor is the main practical problem. Choose foliage over flowers, since a hanging position gets far less light than the room appears to have. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/birds-squirrels-and-pests-in-hanging-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/birds-squirrels-and-pests-in-hanging-baskets/Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0100Identify the culprit from the damage: scattered compost means squirrels, pulled fibre means nesting birds, broken stems mean perching, and a silvery trail means slugs. Position does more than any deterrent, and a metre of clear air from any launch point is the single biggest fix. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/b-and-q-vs-b-and-m-vs-the-range-vs-us-honest-compare/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/b-and-q-vs-b-and-m-vs-the-range-vs-us-honest-compare/Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100DIY sheds suit buying today alongside compost and fixings. Discount general stores suit cheap seasonal buys. Garden centres suit seeing it in your hands and getting advice. Online suits published measurements and range, which is what matters when matching a basket to a bracket. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/stop-baskets-drying-out-moisture-tips/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/stop-baskets-drying-out-moisture-tips/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100The biggest gains come from a larger basket, a liner with a moisture-retaining backing, water-retaining granules mixed in at planting, and moving the basket out of wind. Watering technique matters too - a fast pour runs straight through dry compost without wetting it. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/fence-hanging-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/fence-hanging-baskets/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Fix to posts and rails, never to thin panel boards, and choose a flat-backed wall basket rather than a bracket so nothing swings. On a shared or rented boundary, use over-panel hooks or a freestanding stand instead of drilling anything. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/faux-flowers-and-fillers-to-build-your-own/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/faux-flowers-and-fillers-to-build-your-own/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Buy a firm base, trailing foliage for the rim, bulk foliage for volume and flower stems for accent - roughly two thirds foliage to one third flower. Fit the base tightly, work from the rim inward, and vary stem depths so the display is not flat across the top. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/chains-and-how-to-adjust-height/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/chains-and-how-to-adjust-height/Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Most baskets can be raised by hooking a link further down the chain onto the ring, and lowered by adding an extension chain or S-hooks. Shorten all three or four chains by the same number of links, and check the basket hangs level before loading it. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/long-flowering-low-maintenance-picks/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/long-flowering-low-maintenance-picks/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Calibrachoa, bacopa, surfinia-type trailing petunias, trailing verbena and bidens all flower for months and mostly clean themselves, so they need no deadheading at all. Choose self-cleaning varieties, plant slightly fewer than the guides suggest, and mix slow-release feed into the compost at planting. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/spring-hanging-basket-ideas/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/spring-hanging-basket-ideas/Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Spring baskets run on small bulbs planted the previous autumn, primulas, violas and forget-me-nots. Plant bulbs in October for March and April colour, and treat the spring display as a bridge that gets replaced when summer bedding is safe to put out. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/wall-and-fence-basket-planting-ideas/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/wall-and-fence-basket-planting-ideas/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100A wall or fence basket is a one-sided display, so put height at the back against the wall, mounding plants through the middle and trailers along the front edge only. Repeat the same scheme along a run rather than varying it, and expect to water more often than a round basket. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/outdoor-hanging-baskets-what-to-look-for/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/outdoor-hanging-baskets-what-to-look-for/Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0100Look for genuine drainage, a rim strong enough not to distort under a watered load, chains and a hanging ring rated for the weight, a powder-coated or galvanised finish, and stated dimensions including depth. Depth matters more than diameter and is the figure most often left out. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/how-often-to-water-in-summer/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/how-often-to-water-in-summer/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Most summer baskets need water once a day, and twice on hot windy days. Rather than following a schedule, lift the basket - a light one needs water and a heavy one does not. Size, material, position and planting density all change the frequency considerably. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/baskets-for-walls-and-how-to-fix/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/baskets-for-walls-and-how-to-fix/Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100A bracket suits a solid wall where you want the basket to hang clear, a flat-backed wall basket suits narrow spaces and fences, and a hook suits anywhere with something overhead. On render, timber or a rented wall, choose the option that puts least leverage on the fixing. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/silk-vs-plastic-faux-flowers/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/silk-vs-plastic-faux-flowers/Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Silk and fabric flowers look considerably more realistic because the petals are thin, slightly translucent and catch light the way real ones do. Moulded plastic is tougher and cheaper but reflects light flatly. Indoors, choose fabric; outdoors, choose UV-treated whichever material it is. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/best-hooks-for-hanging-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/best-hooks-for-hanging-baskets/Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Choose a screw hook for timber, a hook with a wall plate for masonry, and a closing or deep-throat hook anywhere windy so the basket cannot lift off. For a high basket, a rise-and-fall pulley hook is worth more than any other hardware upgrade. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/begonias-in-hanging-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/begonias-in-hanging-baskets/Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Trailing begonias are the strongest performer for shade and part shade, flowering heavily from summer to the first frosts. Buy trailing or pendula types, start tubers indoors in spring, and water carefully - begonias rot more readily than they wilt. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/diy-festive-basket-without-live-plants/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/diy-festive-basket-without-live-plants/Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Build a festive basket on a firm base, work from the trailing edge inward, and use artificial evergreen, cones, berries and battery lights. Nothing needs watering, nothing wilts in frost, and the whole thing stores and returns the following December. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/how-many-plants-per-basket-by-size/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/how-many-plants-per-basket-by-size/Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100As a working guide, five plants in a 30cm basket, seven in a 35cm and nine to twelve in a 40cm, including side planting. Vigorous trailers need fewer, compact plants need more, and overplanting is what causes a basket to collapse in midsummer. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/stop-hanging-basket-spinning-in-the-wind/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/stop-hanging-basket-spinning-in-the-wind/Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100Most 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, shorten and level the chains, and tie the basket back or lift it down when a gale is forecast. In a very exposed spot, a fixed wall planter cannot swing at all. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/rattan-and-modern-hanging-baskets-styling/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/rattan-and-modern-hanging-baskets-styling/Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100Rattan and woven baskets bring natural texture to modern exteriors that are otherwise flat render and grey frames. Keep the palette narrow, repeat one basket rather than mixing styles, and choose synthetic rattan outdoors where natural fibre would not last. https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/best-watering-can-for-baskets/https://hangingbasketco.co.uk/blog/best-watering-can-for-baskets/Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100For 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 large can is heavy to hold at arm's length, so two smaller cans often beat one big one.