If there is one undertaking that the public can easily identify with in regards to my position as horticulturist for the City of Reno, it would be the hanging flower baskets that line the downtown river corridor and Virginia Street. Often when I identify myself as the city horticulturist, I get a bland response or a blank stare. However, if I say, “I’m responsible for the flower baskets downtown,” the response is usually overwhelming. It’s very good for my sense of worth.

As the conversation progresses, people often want to know the “nuts and bolts” of planting and growing a hanging basket. I consider planting a hanging basket the easiest part of growing and maintaining flower baskets. It’s time consuming only because of the sheer volume of baskets I have to plant but as far as the level of horticultural difficulty, it’s about a three on a scale of one to ten.

There are three main types of hanging basket planters. The most common and most simple is just a pot with a hanger. This is usually made of plastic and just looks like a regular pot, often with slanting sides, and something with which to suspend it. To plant this pot, you just arrange trailing plants, fertilize, and water.

The next type of hanging basket is the sphagnum basket. It is basically a wire frame in the shape of a pot, and it’s a real pain to plant. The sphagnum moss that is used to keep the soil in the basket has to be layered in row by row as you plant the plants through the wire. The result of having different plants around the pot sides is often spectacular, but this is not a suitable hanging flower basket for Northern Nevada because the sphagnum moss allows water to evaporate from the root-ball too quickly.

The final type of pot is a blend of the hanging pot and the sphagnum basket. It is a plastic pot with holes in the side. With this pot you have the blend of the best—the holes in the side allow for a variety of spectacular plants and the plastic prevents excess water loss.

There are various incarnations of these pots—some are made like plastic bags while others are made from hard plastic. The pots I have settled on are made by Bloom Master Corporation (www.bloommaster.com) and are very sturdy, easy to plant, and have a good soil volume. Soil volume is important because more soil volume equates to more water storage.

Once you have selected your pot, you will need to acquire potting soil and quite frankly, I have not found potting soil at the nurseries or box stores that I would recommend. The best potting mixes are lighter in texture and usually have a high proportion of peat moss. Potting mixes that have the environmentally friendly and renewable coconut husks, often called coir, will work. However, there is evidence that coir can affect nutrient availability. If you use a coir potting mix, you may need to fertilize more often.

Plants that work best for hanging baskets are those that naturally trail or creep. By far, the easiest and showiest are the trailing petunias. These plants grow from two-and-a-half to four feet in diameter, bloom all season, and are reasonably hardy against light frost. If you choose trailing petunias for your hanging baskets, consider how large they will get and use them sparingly.

I’ve included a list of suitable plants for hanging baskets (below) but you are only limited by your imagination. Many people grow tomatoes and other vegetables while others use the hanging basket to grow a selection of herbs. You can use plants that do not trail but have showy foliage or flowers to break up the monotony of the basket.

Types of Trailing Petunias

Supertunia/Wave/Tidal Wave/Ramblin’/Cascadias/

Avalanche/Surfina

Try to choose plants with similar growth requirements. Also remember that due to competition and attrition by the end of the season, any trailing petunia that you’ve planted will have probably taken over the whole basket.

Due to the limitations on soil volume, when selecting plants for your hanging baskets try to only buy plants that are in pony packs. If you buy plants with a larger root-ball you will run out of room in your pot. You may have to nag your local nursery to buy trailing petunias in pony packs because trailing petunias are usually sold in four to six inch pots.

Next, it’s time to plant. The pot I’m using has two rows of eight holes in the sides of the pot. I design the pot by laying the plants in rows so that I can see how my design will look. If you have too many of the same type too close together you can change it easily at this point.

Add soil until the first holes are barely covered. Leave the soil loose; do not pack. Feed the plant through the holes from the inside of the pot. Pack the soil under the root-ball so it is at the top of the hole and the plant is slanted downward. If the root-ball is perpendicular to the hole, the plant may pop out; when the plant is pointing down with the root-ball up, the plant will not fall out of the hole.

Continue planting around the pot. If you have a plant with a lot of foliage you can use what I fondly call the “secret weapon.” The secret weapon is a plastic shopping bag rolled loosely around the top of the plant. The ends of the bag are fed through the hole and the bag removed. The bag prevents the top of the plant from being damaged.

When you finish the first row, add more soil and continue with the second row. Then add more soil and plant the top of the pot. Do not pack the soil between layers; let the water compact the soil naturally. Also, allow about a one-half-inch lip at the top of your pot. After a while, the soil will compact enough and there will be more room.

Water and a balanced fertilizer are important in finishing a hanging basket. A finished basket has ninety percent of the pot covered with foliage. This takes about six weeks. I use a dilute water-soluble fertilizer with micronutrients every time I water, but this is my career and I understand it would be difficult for the average homeowner to fertilize every watering cycle. Your pot will do as well if you fertilize weekly or use a slow release fertilizer with micronutrients formulated for blossoms and fruits.

Plants Suitable for Hanging Baskets

Trailing petunias

Calibrachoa or Million Bells /Bacopa/Profusion Zinnias/Ivy Geraniums/Trailing Lobelia/Verbena/Superbena

Bedding petunias

Coleus/Nerembergia/Black Eyed Susan Vine/Nemesia/Impatiens/Begonias/Dusty Miller/Vinca/Asarina/Catmint/Heliochrysum/Herbs/Strawberries/Tomatoes

Water your hanging basket until water drains freely from the bottom holes and the drain holes. You may not have to water your hanging basket daily when it is first planted, but the hanging basket absolutely must be watered heavily and daily when it is finished or it will die or, minimally, start to look ugly.

If you’re wondering if the City of Reno waters all of the hanging baskets daily, the answer is: yes we do! My crew waters 220 hanging baskets 7 days a week from May 5 through October 15.

The finished hanging basket is a joy to behold although a bit touchy to maintain. You now have the tools to design and plant a hanging flower basket. If you persevere in your maintenance effort, it will eventually add a bright spot for your home through the summer.

Dianne Stortz-Lintz is a horticulturist and greenhouse manager for the City of Reno. For more information or to learn about becoming a greenhouse volunteer, call 224-1680.