Do you cringe and run in fear at the price of those huge, beautiful hanging baskets at the store? Are you afraid to pay so much for one, because of the possibility that it may die on you? If that's the case, as it is with many of us, why not consider making your own hanging flower baskets?

You don't necessarily have to have a huge green thumb poking out of your hand to accomplish this task. You do, though, have to enjoy, or at least not mind, getting your hands soiled. Of course, you can invest in a pair of gardening gloves and solve that problem too.

Empty hanging baskets are relatively inexpensive to purchase at your local dollar store. You might also check with gardening friends and see if they have any left over baskets from last year. They might be willing to share and they might not. Avid gardeners are pretty protective with their flower pot collection!

Try purchasing the containers that already have the hangers attached to them. These are easier to work with. If you prefer, you can purchase flower pots without hangers and place them into a decorative type hanger. Look for macram or beaded flower pot hangers at your local dollar store. How you want the hanging flower basket to look is a personal choice.

You do want to consider the style of the porch or patio you plan to hang them at. If you have a big old fashioned porch, you may want to consider the macram hangers. They will help lend to the old fashioned dcor.

Start your hanging basket project early in the spring, so that by summer, your flowers will have grown and be in full bloom. Choose small hearty flowers that are suited to your area. Ask for help at a local gardening center or check the internet to see what is best for your area.

Flowers that vine out and spill over look great in hanging baskets. Petunia Wave is one such flower that is suited to hanging baskets. Purchase these in small 2 to 4 inch pots when they are young plants. They are very inexpensive and will grow rapidly. Select them in your favorite colors or to coordinate with the colors of other flowers in your yard.

Fill the large pots with potting soil that you purchased from the dollar store. Pop the tiny plants out of the little containers and arrange them into the big basket. It is best to make a circle around the outer rim of the pot, and then fill in the center. Space them about every two inches or so. Don't forget to give them a drink of water to settle them in.

The Petunia Waves are very easy to care for and will grow and vine out rapidly, producing a cascade of colorful flowers tumbling from your hanging basket. The only real care they will need is to keep the soil moist and to pop off the dead blooms occasionally.

Watching your own flowers grow and thrive is much more satisfying than purchasing a huge beautiful basket simply as a decoration. And next year, you will still have the flower pots to start all over with again. So you are already half way there to creating beautiful hanging flower baskets!

If the green thumb club has caught you, consider adding to your flower pot and hanging collection by browsing yard sales and flea markets. You will find a wealth of beautiful, unique and unusual flower pots and hangers. Gather them up and start your own collection to mix and match every year.

Let your imagination and creativity go wild, but don't tell your other green thumb friends about your collection or they may be asking to borrow some of them. And you know how possessive we gardeners are about our flower pots and hanging baskets.

Learn more about this author, Donna Thacker.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Tips for making your own hanging flower baskets?
We want to hear your view. Write now!