Hanging baskets aren’t just for summer! With the warmer months officially over and our garden foliage beginning to look a little sparser, hanging baskets have a bigger role than ever to play in our green spaces.
Discover all you need to know about winter hanging baskets, including when to get started with your arrangements and which plants to include.
Contrary to popular belief, hanging baskets can be used in UK gardens all year round – and it’s something we’d recommend for a long list of reasons.
Winter hanging baskets add interest, colour and beauty to outdoor spaces, which often need all the help they can get during the bleak winter months. You can use your hanging baskets to bring your green space to life once more with vibrant displays, practical yet beautiful herbs, and stunning evergreens.
Whether designing a hanging basket for spring, summer, autumn or winter, the key to success is going seasonal with your plant choices. Winter offers endless inspiration in that department!
Hardy plant varieties like winter pansies, violas, cyclamen and heather are popular additions, while classic trailing plants like ivy provide lush foliage that transcends the season. Primulas are another fantastic choice for winter hanging baskets. Thanks to their perennial nature, they can also be moved to beds and borders post-winter to enjoy their lovely blooms into early spring.
Feeling festive? Include the beautiful, red berried gaultheria procumbens – also known as checkerberry – in your display.
The best time to hang winter hanging baskets is right now! Plant out your baskets from September to November for beautiful winter displays that’ll establish well and bloom all winter.
Despite the harsh conditions, winter hanging baskets are quite easy to take care of, with the hanging basket system providing vital protection from frost and winter plants generally requiring less maintenance than thirsty spring/summer varieties.
The right plants of course make all the difference, but so too does your planting technique. The best way to plant any hanging basket is in layers, with trailing varieties the first to be planted. Start by part filling your basket with compost before adding your plants in intervals. Water regularly but avoid overdoing it. The watering needs of your baskets will depend on the weather conditions. For baskets that last long after winter, provide a top-up feed in early spring.
Remember, good sturdy baskets and brackets are crucial, with quality needed to withstand harsher winter weather conditions. Shop our durable, weather resistant hanging basket brackets today for inspiration.