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Best flowers to grow in a hanging basket

🌸 Flowers for Hanging Baskets: 10 Stunning Choices for Summer Colour

Looking for the best flowers for hanging baskets? You’re not alone as this is one of the most common questions we’re asked at the garden centre. Hanging baskets are a simple yet powerful way to add colour, height, and impact to your outdoor space.

With the right mix of summer bedding plants, you can create beautiful displays that last all season long. Here we include our top plant picks and expert care tips.

🌿 When to Plant Hanging Baskets

Planting at the right time is key to success:

  • Plant up baskets in spring once frost risk has passed
  • Harden off young plants before placing outdoors
  • Use high-quality compost with water retention granules
  • Position baskets in sun or partial shade depending on plant choice

👉 Expert Tip: Hanging baskets dry out quickly so check them daily in warm weather.

🌸 Top Flowers for Hanging Baskets

Petunia

Petunia flowers overflowing from a hanging basket creating a vibrant summer display
Petunia flowers overflowing from a hanging basket creating a vibrant summer display
Calibrachoa flowers overflowing from a hanging basket on a porch

Petunias are among the most popular flowers for hanging baskets, and for good reason:

  • Long-lasting blooms
  • Huge range of colours
  • Easy to grow

Surfinia is a trailing variety that creates dramatic cascading displays. Calibrachoa (Million Bells)  is similar to Petunia

👉 Care Tips: Full sun, Weekly feeding, Deadhead regularly

🌿 Lobelia (Soft Cascading Colour)

Lobelia flowers in bloom with delicate trailing blue-purple petals
Lobelia growing in a hanging basket with delicate blue flowers

Lobelia adds a soft, flowing effect:

  • Available in blue, pink, and white
  • Perfect for softening basket edges
  • Creates a delicate, trailing cascade that complements bolder summer bedding plants
  • Ideal for mixing with other flowers for hanging baskets for a balanced display
  • Thrives in sun or partial shade, making it a versatile choice for different garden positions

👉 Keep well-watered to maintain continuous flowering throughout the season

🌱 Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny)

A great foliage contrast plant:

  • Golden trailing leaves that brighten and lift any hanging basket display
  • Hardy and low maintenance, returning year after year in many conditions
  • Provides excellent contrast against colourful summer bedding plants, helping flowers stand out
  • Ideal for adding structure and fullness to flowers for hanging baskets
  • Tolerates both sun and partial shade, making it highly versatile

👉 Pro Tip: Trim regularly to prevent it taking over and to maintain a balanced, well-shaped basket

🌺 Geranium (Pelargonium)

A timeless favourite and one of the most reliable flowers for hanging baskets, geraniums (pelargoniums) are perfect for creating bold, eye-catching summer displays.

Why choose geraniums?

  • Vibrant, long-lasting blooms in a wide range of colours
  • Excellent drought tolerance once established
  • Ideal for sunny positions and exposed areas
  • Low maintenance and highly resilient

Geraniums are a “thriller” among summer basket plants, providing height and colour 

Care Tips:

  • Plant in well-draining compost
  • Water regularly, but allow the compost to dry slightly between watering
  • Feed every 1–2 weeks during peak growth
  • Remove faded flowers to encourage continuous blooming

👉 Pro Tip: Combine upright geraniums with trailing plants like lobelia or calibrachoa to create a full, balanced hanging basket display

🌼 Nemesia (Fragrance & Colour)

A charming addition to any display, nemesia is one of the most delightful flowers for hanging baskets, bringing both colour and fragrance to your garden.

Why choose nemesia?

  • Sweet, noticeable fragrance that carries on warm summer days
  • Delicate blooms in a wide range of colours, often with attractive two-tone patterns
  • Compact growth habit, ideal for filling gaps in baskets
  • Long flowering period when regularly maintained

Nemesia pairs beautifully with other summer bedding plants, adding softness and scent to your hanging basket combinations.

Care Tips:

  • Grow in full sun or partial shade
  • Keep compost consistently moist but well-drained
  • Feed regularly to encourage continuous flowering
  • Lightly trim after the first flush of flowers to promote a second bloom

👉 Pro Tip: Position nemesia near seating areas or pathways so you can fully enjoy its fragrance as you pass by

🌿 Nasturtium (Edible Beauty)

A brilliant all-rounder, nasturtiums are among the most versatile flowers for hanging baskets, combining vibrant colour with edible benefits—perfect for any kitchen gardening space.

Why choose nasturtiums?

  • Bright, cheerful flowers in a wide range of colours
  • Edible leaves and blooms with a distinctive peppery flavour
  • Fast-growing and easy to establish from seed
  • Naturally trailing habit, ideal for cascading over basket edges

Nasturtiums are a standout choice for summer bedding plants, offering both visual appeal and practical use in the kitchen.

Care Tips:

  • Grow in full sun for best flowering
  • Use well-drained compost and avoid overly rich soil, which can reduce blooms
  • Water regularly, but don’t overfeed
  • Allow to trail naturally for maximum impact

👉 Pro Tip: Add freshly picked nasturtium flowers and leaves to salads for a pop of colour and a peppery kick.

🍓 Strawberries (Edible Hanging Basket)

Strawberries growing in a hanging basket with ripe red fruit and green foliage
Ripe strawberries growing on plants with a bowl of freshly picked strawberries in a garden bed

Great for small spaces:

  • Attractive flowers
  • Easy-to-pick fruit

Not all strawberries perform equally well in hanging baskets. Some varieties are far better suited than others. You’ll get the best results by choosing compact, trailing or everbearing (perpetual) varieties that fruit over a long period and don’t become too heavy.

🍅 Tumbling Tomatoes (Productive & Decorative)

Tumbling tomatoes are one of the most rewarding choices when selecting flowers for hanging baskets. They combine vibrant colour, delicious harvests, and real visual impact. Compact, trailing varieties are specially bred for containers, making them perfect for summer bedding plants with a practical twist.

Combine beauty with productivity:

  • Cascading growth
  • Delicious fruit

  • Key benefits:

✔️ Ideal for small gardens, patios, and balconies

✔️ Highly productive throughout summer

✔️ Easy to grow with minimal training

✔️ Combines ornamental appeal with edible rewards

🌟 Expert Tips for Perfect Hanging Baskets

For professional results:

  • Use the thriller, filler, spiller method
  • Feed weekly during summer
  • Water daily in warm weather
  • Deadhead regularly
  • Rotate baskets for even sunlight

👉 Pro Tip: Use moisture-retaining liners to reduce watering.

🌿 Visit Our Garden Centre in Kington

From premium compost and baskets to a wide selection of plants, we have everything you need.

👉 Visit us in Kington today and let us help you create a garden you’ll love all year round.