Transform Your Outdoor Space with Dramatic Trailing Plants in Hanging Baskets
No hanging basket is complete without a trailing plant that spills its stems over the rim, adding instant drama and a touch of effortless charm to your backyard. More than just a pretty face, a cascading hanging basket plant can disguise an otherwise unappealing planter, transforming a simple container into a riot of lush leaves or fabulous flowers. Whether you’re aiming for a bold statement piece or a delicate, textured accent, choosing the right trailing plant is key to creating a truly captivating display. This guide explores seven stunning trailing plants perfectly suited for hanging baskets, offering practical advice on their care and showcasing their unique beauty. We’ll delve into their specific needs, growth habits, and how they can elevate your outdoor décor, ensuring your hanging baskets become the focal point of your garden—or patio!
1. Dichondra Silver Falls: A Shimmering Cascade
Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ is a captivating choice for any hanging basket, instantly adding a touch of silvery elegance. Its shapely silver-toned leaves on long stems that cascade to a remarkable 4 feet create a truly mesmerizing effect – it’s like a miniature waterfall of shimmering foliage. Often referred to as the silver nickel vine, this plant is surprisingly adaptable, thriving in both sun and partial shade. It’s quick to grow, making it an incredibly affordable option, especially when starting from seed, readily available from sources like Eden Brothers. While technically a tender perennial, it’s commonly treated as an annual, allowing for easy replacement each season. The beauty of ‘Silver Falls’ lies not only in its appearance but also in its low-maintenance nature; it doesn’t require pinching or shaping, letting its natural cascading form take center stage. You’ll find that young plants readily available from Burpee offer the quickest path to a lush, overflowing display.
2. Midnight Gold Petunia: A Jewel-Toned Spectacle
Petunia ‘Midnight Gold’ is a true standout, offering a captivating blend of unusual blooms and a striking purple and gold palette. Its stems trail to a respectable 2 feet, adding a beautiful element of movement to your hanging basket arrangement. While petunias can sometimes be polarizing – likened to Marmite, enjoyed by some and not at all by others – ‘Midnight Gold’ consistently earns praise for its unique aesthetic. The blooms themselves are velvety and substantial, reaching a diameter of approximately 2 inches and forming a dense, full ball of color. This cultivar’s vibrant hues are particularly stunning when contrasted with the surrounding foliage, making it a focal point in any hanging basket display. For a hassle-free start, skip the seed-starting process and purchase young plants from Burpee, ensuring a quicker and more reliable bloom time. In warmer zones (9-11), ‘Midnight Gold’ can even survive the winter and flourish for multiple seasons, offering a long-lasting burst of color.
3. Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata): A Butterfly Magnet
Traditionally grown on a trellis, Thunbergia alata proves equally happy dangling its vining stems downwards from a hanging basket, creating a delightful cascade of blooms. Reaching an impressive 8 feet in length, this plant truly makes a statement, offering a substantial patio spectacle. Beyond the classic orange and yellow Black-Eyed Susan vine, available from Eden Brothers, the ‘African Sunset Mix’ variety introduces a captivating blend of warm-toned flowers – apricot, salmon, rose, and soft yellow – all united by their signature dark centers. This diverse palette adds depth and complexity to your hanging basket arrangement, attracting butterflies and other pollinators. ‘African Sunset Mix’ is also available from Eden Brothers. It’s relatively easy to grow from seed, typically treated as an annual in zones 4-9. The plant’s adaptability and vibrant blooms are sure to brighten any outdoor space.
4. Sweet Potato Vine ‘Marguerite’: Chartreuse Drama
For a hanging basket that truly stands out, consider Sweet Potato Vine ‘Marguerite’. This striking cultivar boasts stems that can reach 4-9 feet in length, adorned with large, heart-shaped leaves of a vibrant, chartreuse-green hue. It’s this unique foliage that sets ‘Marguerite’ apart, creating a hanging basket that’s unlike anything else. Not only does it provide a textural contrast, but its glossy leaves also bring a refreshing pop of color to the space. Interestingly, Sweet Potato Vines grow from tubers, rather than seeds, adding an element of intrigue to their cultivation. Offering a dramatic backdrop for other trailing plants, or a stunning solo act, ‘Marguerite’ is a versatile choice for any gardener. This stunner has been bred to cope with high heat so, even if you live in zones 9–11, it’ll be just fine.
5. Caliope Geranium: Heat-Loving Beauty
If you live in a warmer climate, Caliope Geranium is an excellent choice for your hanging basket. Bred to cope with high heat, these geraniums thrive in zones 9-11, offering a long-lasting display of stunning blooms. Their stems can trail to 6-8 feet, providing a generous cascade of color. Caliope Geraniums boast vibrant, velvety blooms in shades of pink, purple, and red, creating a truly opulent look. The flowers themselves are quite substantial, measuring approximately 2.5 inches in diameter, and they have a distinctive, slightly ruffled appearance. Compared to traditional geraniums, Caliope Geraniums are more compact and produce a denser bloom display, making them ideal for hanging baskets. Because they’re quick to grow so is cheap and easy to start from seed, these voluptuous, velvety blooms can grace a hanging basket, rather than its usual task of fast ground cover.
You may also enjoy reading: 7 Reasons Why Hardy Geranium is the Ultimate Low-Maintenance Perennial to Plant This April.
6. Verbena ‘Royal Purple’: Continuous Color
Verbena ‘Royal Purple’ offers a delightful alternative, delivering a continuous display of purple blooms throughout the summer. With stems that trail to around 2-3 feet, this versatile plant adds a touch of elegance and color to any hanging basket. Unlike some of the other trailing plants on this list, Verbena ‘Royal Purple’ is relatively drought-tolerant, requiring less frequent watering. Its vibrant purple flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, creating a lively and engaging display. It’s often available as a plug plant, making it easy to incorporate into your hanging basket design. While it’s generally grown as an annual, Verbena ‘Royal Purple’ can be successfully overwintered in milder climates with proper protection. The beauty of this plant lies not just in its color, but also in its resilience and ability to provide continuous blooms from spring to fall.
7. Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia): A Green Delight
For a lush, verdant cascade, Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is a fantastic choice. Its bright green, rounded leaves trail gracefully downwards, creating a beautiful contrast with any flowering plants in your hanging basket. Stems typically reach 2-3 feet in length, providing a substantial amount of trailing foliage. Creeping Jenny is incredibly easy to grow, tolerating a wide range of conditions and requiring minimal maintenance. It’s drought-tolerant once established and thrives in both sun and partial shade. Adding a touch of texture and visual interest to your hanging basket, Creeping Jenny complements other trailing plants beautifully. It’s quick to grow so is cheap and easy to start from seed and needs little watering or feeding once established. While it’s often used as a ground cover, its trailing habit makes it an excellent choice for hanging baskets, adding a vibrant splash of green to your outdoor space.
Beyond the Basics: Considerations for Hanging Basket Success
Creating a truly stunning hanging basket display involves more than just selecting the right trailing plant. Proper potting mix is crucial – avoid using garden soil, which can become compacted and drain poorly. Opt for a lightweight, well-draining potting mix specifically formulated for containers. Also, ensure your hanging basket has adequate drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. Regular watering is essential, especially during hot, dry weather, but avoid overwatering, which can lead to root rot. Fertilize your plants regularly with a balanced liquid fertilizer to promote vigorous growth and abundant blooms. Finally, consider the overall design of your hanging basket – balance the size and color of the plants to create a visually appealing display. A well-planned and properly maintained hanging basket will bring years of beauty and enjoyment to your outdoor space.
Not only does a cascading hanging basket plant disguise a sometimes ugly planter, it turns the wasted space beneath into a riot of lush leaves or fabulous flowers. Whether you want to fill the entire container with a single standout spiller for a statement planter, or pair a smaller trailer with beautiful hanging basket blooms to add texture, a trailing plant is a must. And don’t worry about packing your container with plenty of plants: as long as you prep the potting soil with the right ingredients to make a hanging basket low maintenance and keep it well watered, it’ll be just fine. With shapely silver-toned leaves on long stems, Dichondra Silver Falls positively shimmers in a hanging basket. Petunia ‘Midnight Gold’ has highly unusual blooms, both in their form and purple and gold palette. Black-eyed Susan vine makes quite a patio spectacle! Sweet Potato Vine ‘Marguerite’ creates a hanging basket like no other. Calliope Geranium can grace a hanging basket even in southern heat. Remember to sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter today and receive a free copy of our e-book “How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes”!
