Top 10 Plants for Trailing Baskets
Top 10 Plants for Trailing Baskets
History suggests that trailing plants owe their popularity to the famous Gardens of Babylon. Ancient artwork shows these gardens featured vines hanging from terraces and plants tumbling over archways to make it one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Our fascination with these trailing plants is still evident 3000 years later. These days, most British gardens would not be complete without a display of cascading blooms or foliage.
There are so many wonderful trailing varieties to choose from it can be hard to know where to start so here are our 10 top picks for tremendous trailing baskets full of annuals this summer.
10. Fragaria 'Pegasus'
A hanging basket of trailing colour can also improve your menu. Fragaria ‘Pegasus’ will provide an ample crop of sweet, delectable strawberries.
Tumbling over the edge of your basket in attractive trails, the bright red fruit on this strawberry plant will add charm to any patio display. Between April and June, small white flowers will appear. Plump, juicy fruit will follow in June and July.
9. Lotus maculatus 'Fire Vine'
Lotus maculatus ‘Fire Vine’ is a sizzling choice as a stand-alone feature plant. The unusually curved flowers have earned this plant a common name, Parrot’s Beak. Yet, when the blooms appear like searing flames above the foliage, this plant bears a closer resemblance to a wildfire.
Each flower is alight with bright yellow petals merging to vivid red and orange at the tips. Between May and September, these vibrant blooms will warm your planting with cascades of 45cm trails.
The thin, silver-grey leaflets on this attention-seeking evergreen will also add interest when grouped with larger-leafed plants.
8. Surfinia Trailing 'Deep Blue'
Surfinias have become a staple of summer gardens since they were introduced 30 years ago. These much-loved blooms provide a powerhouse of summer colour and are known for their weather resistance and profusion of flowers.
When it comes to trails, Surfinia Trailing ‘Deep Blue’ is a star variety. This trailing petunia really puts on a dramatic display with sumptuous stems reaching 60cm in length. Awash with blue-purple trumpet flowers which will gently cascade over the edge of your hanging basket from June to October. Surfinia Trailing ‘Deep Blue’ will immerse a south or west facing patio in an astounding show of blooms.
7. Lysimachia 'Goldilocks'
Many trailing plants prefer the sun, so it can be harder to find varieties which will thrive in a partially shaded area.
Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ is a reliable source of sunny colour for spaces with less direct light. This plant’s shiny gold-green foliage will tumble delightfully over a basket on vigorous, stems up to 50cm long. Cup-like, bright yellow flowers will also provide further interest in July and August.
This RHS award-winning perennial is both hardy and evergreen, offering enduring colour to your patio.
Trailing fuchsias also do well in partly shady locations, so these plants make excellent companions for Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’.
6. Begonia tuberhybrida 'Sweet Spice Appleblossom'
To delight both nose and eye, fragrant, trailing begonias are a superb choice. Begonia tuberhybrida ‘Sweet Spice Appleblossom’ offers creamy flowers tinged with rose and gold. A sweet, rose-like aroma will also scent the air when a basket or container of these showy blooms is on display.
Complemented by bright pink buds, these frothy flowers offer a vision of romance. A profusion of double blooms will tumble gently on 40cm trails over the edges of your container from early summer to mid-autumn.
This tender begonia is best suited to a sheltered spot which enjoys sun for at least part of the day.
5. Fuchsia 'Sir Matt Busby'
Fuchsias deserve a place of honour in this list for their seemingly endless displays of ballerina-like blooms.
Among the trailing fuchsias, Fuchsia ‘Sir Matt Busby’ is a particularly strong performer. This variety will still be flowering vigorously when most other summer blooms are spent. From early summer until November, Fuchsia ‘Sir Matt Busby’ will be awash with vibrant scarlet and creamy white double blooms. Impressive 45cm trails will bear these pendulous flowers to ensure a mesmerising display.
Best grown in spot which enjoys sun for at least part of the day, this variety will thrive with regular, albeit moderate, watering.
4. Scaevola Scalora 'Surdiva White'
The exquisite, fan-shaped blooms on Scaevola ‘Surdiva White’ will offer a dainty contrast to bigger, bolder blooms or petunia-shaped flowers.
These surprisingly shaped flowers, resembling a hand, give the plant its name. According to legend, a Roman named Scaevola placed one hand in a fire to demonstrate his faith. As a result, the name scaevola came to mean left-handed. Bearing 5 finger-like petals on each bloom, this plant pays tribute to the remaining fingers of this unfortunate Roman.
These flowers are bright white and accented by vibrant green which surround the blooms. The toothed foliage will drift over the edges of hanging baskets in 20cm semi-trails. Between June and October, your scaevola will produce continuous waves of blooms.
3. Ipomoea Solar Power 'Black Heart'
Striking foliage can also create a striking visual effect. Bold, leafy plants will add contrast and interest to any hanging basket display. The large, heart-shaped leaves on Ipomoea Solar Power ‘Black Heart’ are intensely purple-black and highlighted by deep purple-red veins. This plant’s lush foliage will cascade on 30cm-long trails to encase your basket in an deeply rich and opulent ball.
Ipomoea Solar Power ‘Black Heart’ will thrive in a fully or partly sunny location which is west, east or south-facing.
Choose this bold, dark plant to add drama to baskets of bright tumbling blooms such as Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Funky Pink’ or Pelargonium ‘Ivy Salmon’.
2. Sutera Scopia 'venus' Mix
The delicate pastel tones in this collection of mixed hues are perfect for those who prefer a softer colour scheme.
Sutera Scopia ‘Venus’ Mix will provide a multitude of white, pink and lavender-blue blooms twinkling above delicate foliage. When planted together, these 3 shades will combine to provide a shimmer of gentle hues in a gracefully cascading mound. 30cm trails will arch gently over the rim of your basket.
These sun-loving plants will do well in a location with plenty of sheltered direct light.
A trailing plant with larger white blooms, such as Fuchsia ‘Harry Grey’, would make an elegant companion in a nearby basket.
3. Calibrachoa 'Can-Can Double Red'
Calibrachoas are a fantastic choice for bold, brilliant trails. Engulfed in a swathe of small, bright blooms, it is easy to see why these plants are commonly known as million bells.
These Brazilian natives are available in a rainbow of different shades. Calibrachoa ‘Can-Can Double Red’ is part of the Can-Can series which offers a range of exceptionally vibrant hues. This sparkling plant will brighten your patio with radiant-red, double blooms. Impressive trails of up to 50cm in length will immerse your hanging basket in an impressive cascade of colour. These beautiful, bell-shaped flowers will illuminate your patio with a scintillating display from May till October.
A sheltered, south or west-facing spot with full sunshine will best suit these tender plants.
