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Hanging Planters
by Pamela Kock
Hanging
baskets filled with flowers or lush green foliage make a wonderful addition to a room’s décor, and are especially
useful once the indoor gardener has run out of space on tables, windowsills
and shelves!
Here’s how to make the most of this special display option.
Obviously,
not every houseplant is suitable for a hanging basket.
Those that grow upright, like most dracaenas, would look silly in a
hanging pot.
The best plants to hang are trailing ones like philodendron, pothos,
ivies, spider plant, hoya, fuschia, Boston fern, and others that
send out vines, runners, and otherwise spill downward.
Depending
on your décor needs, though, even plants that aren’t trailing
might be attractive in a hanging pot.
These have to be hung a bit lower, though, so the plant
will be visible at eye level or below.
When
choosing a location for a hanging pot or basket, consider the
plant’s light requirements.
Flowering plants generally need a higher light level than
those that are prized for foliage and not expected to bloom.
Your fuschia or hoya should be hung near a southern or
western-facing window; spider plants and philodendrons will be
fine even on the north side.
Also, hanging plants perform and look best when they’re
within a foot of the window, unless your room is extremely sunny
and bright.
You’ll
want to choose lightweight materials for your hanging pot or
basket, and be very certain that the hook can handle the pot’s
weight.
A hook driven into plain plaster or drywall can only bear
the lightest, smallest container – find a sturdy stud in the
wall or ceiling.
If no spot is available in the ceiling, purchase a strong
wall bracket and mount it in a wall stud.
Most
indoor and outdoor hanging pots are not interchangeable.
Pots and baskets sold for outdoor use are meant to leak, or
drain during heavy rain or over-watering.
You don’t want this to happen indoors, so you’ll have
to choose containers with water reservoirs rather than drain
holes.
Use the smallest, most shallow pot available, and plastic
is lighter than terracotta.
Fill with a lightweight, peat-based potting soil unless
your plant variety needs something else.
Macrame
hangers are sold at many discount and garden shops; you can also
make your own – it’s not as difficult as it seems.
Research directions on the Internet or obtain them from a
local library.
Other hangers can be made from wire, or simply from rope or
jute knotted around a ring and tied to three hooks.
Craft vendors at fairs and tourist shops sell beautiful
plant hangers – if you don’t buy, use them as inspiration to
make your own.
Hanging
planters with a mixture are attractive; place the tallest specimen
in the middle and the trailers along the outer edges.
Single plants are nice too.
When they start looking “straggly”, don’t be afraid
to trim and prune as needed.
Most plants benefit from this trimming and will grow
bushier as a result.
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