Colourful winter hanging baskets are a quick and easy way to liven up a porch or patio. Hang them by your front entrance for instant kerb appeal, or use them around the garden to brighten up bare walls and fences. You can even suspend your baskets from the branches of deciduous trees!
There’s a huge variety of winter bedding plants from which to choose, providing a warm and welcoming splash of colour through the darkest months of the year. Whether you choose luxurious jewel colours, gentle pastels or vibrantly contrasting blooms, here’s our step-by-step guide to planting up show stopping winter hanging baskets.
You will need:
- Easy Fill Hanging Baskets
- Winter Bedding Plants – buy about 12 plants for a 30cm basket
- Moisture-retaining compost
Step-by-step guide to planting up your winter hanging baskets
Image: Suttons
- Sit your hanging basket on the rim of a bucket or large pot for easy access.
- If using a wire basket, fit a liner. Plastic hanging baskets don’t require a liner.
- Part-fill the basket with compost to the level of the first layer of plants – the lowest level is usually the trailing plants that you want to cascade from the sides.
- Make a hole in the liner (if using) or pop-out the lowest planting panels of your easy fill hanging basket. Carefully feed the roots into the hole, so that the root ball lies on the top of the compost.
- Working your way around the basket, add plants at intervals to complete the lowest side layer.
- Cover the roots with compost, firm it down, and repeat the process if there’s another layer of side panels to fill.
- Finish the basket by adding more compost and planting your upright flowers in the top. Leave a little room, so that your water won’t run straight off.
- Hang your basket from a sturdy bracket.
Watch our ‘how to plant hanging basket’ video tutorial here for more advice.
Top tips for winter hanging baskets
Image: Suttons
- All baskets require a strong wall bracket – a watered basket can be very heavy!
- Turn baskets occasionally, so that all plants receive sufficient light.
- Check the soil regularly and water thoroughly when dry.
- Deadhead to keep the blooms coming.
- Feed every couple of weeks with a liquid fertiliser.
Best winter bedding plants for hanging baskets
Image: Polyanthus ‘Firecracker’ from Suttons
Whether you prefer to plant single block colours for maximum impact or a mixture of brightly coloured flowers, there’s something to suit all tastes. Here are some of our new favourites:
- Polyanthus ‘Firecracker’ for its fiery red-tinged petals
- Pansy ‘Atlas Black’ for a cascade of dramatic black flowers
- Primrose ‘Husky Raspberry Punch’ with a sizzling blend of pink blooms
- Pansy ‘Matrix Mixed’ for large, showy, long-lasting flowers with a branching habit.
We hope this has inspired you to plant up some bright hanging baskets this winter. See our best advice on growing winter bedding plants for more inspiration.
Lead image: Easy Fill Hanging Baskets from Suttons
