See my list of favorite trailing plants for hanging baskets that are easy to grow and will look great all season long.
One of my favorite things to do in the late spring or early summer is create hanging baskets and pots of flowers. Many work well, but the best are the trailing plants or "spillers" that, in my opinion, really make the planter look outstanding.
Sure, you can buy hanging baskets at the nursery, and they are often gorgeous. However, the price is usually high, and there's a certain feeling of pride when you create your own.
Today, I'm sharing my favorite cascading plants, including a mix of flowering trailers as well as several that are used purely for their attractive foliage.
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17 Trailing Plants for Baskets
Sweet Potato Vine - Ipomoea
I love the chartreuse color of this sweet potato vine. It's grown as an annual for its lovely foliage, though it may flower. This lovely trailing plant can also be found in a dark purple color that's almost black. The leaf shape can vary, and it grows well in sun or partial shade.
Petunia
This oldie but goodie flower has advanced over the years. In the past, you would need to deadhead the flowers, but modern plants have been bred to eliminate this problem. The color options are endless, and they fill out a hanging basket well. Petunias prefer a sunny location to produce flowers all season long.
Fuchsia
Here's a lovely option for shade. Fuchsia has a drooping habit, making it perfect for hanging baskets. They come in single or double flowers and with a great variety of colors, mostly bicolors featuring combinations of red, violet, purple, pink, and white.
Million Bells - Calibrachoa
These are at the top of my list of favorites. They add so much charm and dimension to planters. Calibrachoa bloom very well and come in a myriad of colors. They look like mini petunias and, like petunias, prefer sun, but they will tolerate some shade. They will bloom like crazy from spring to frost.
Lobelia
Though it comes in white and other shades of purple, I almost always buy a few of this dark, delicate purple lobelia. This is the annual version of lobelia. There is a perennial lobelia that is quite tall. The annual will grow in full sun but can take some shade and prefers cooler temperatures.
Sweet Alyssum - Lobularia
Small and delicate sweet alyssum will trail over the edge of pots and baskets. It grows well in full sun but may do better in partial shade in areas where you have hot summers. I often buy it in white, but you can find it in shades of purple and pink.
Bacopa
Another white trailing favorite is Bacopa, though it also comes in a pretty pale pink. It grows in full sun, though it does appreciate some afternoon shade during the summer. It's a perennial in warmer climates and is sometimes grown as a ground cover.
Lantana
Another trailing beauty that's a perennial (zone 8) in some areas but is grown as an annual here is Lantana. It grows best in full sun and is a good one for taking on the heat, making it an excellent choice for many gardeners. Lantana is another great trailing flower that you can find in an amazing number of colors and color combinations.
Ivy Geranium
Unlike your standard upright zonal geraniums, this one trails. It comes in a variety of colors with large clusters of flowers. Ivy geraniums need about 5-6 hours of direct sun but don't mind a bit of shade, especially during the hot afternoon sun.
Creeping Jenny - Lysimachia
Another beautiful chartreuse plant that's actually a perennial hardy to Zone 4. I've used this as a ground cover, but as you can see from the image above, it looks great in pots and would grow equally well in hanging baskets. Creeping Jenny likes full sun but will take some shade. It can flower, but is grown for the pretty foliage as the blooms are small.
Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are edible, making a lovely statement for a salad or plate garnish. You can grow them from seed, but often you can find some already to plant at a nursery. They come in both a trailing (Tropaeolum majus) and a bush or mounding type (Tropaeolum minus). This flowering beauty is a good one for those of you who love warm shades of red, orange, and yellow. They are best grown in full sun as shade will hinder bloom production.
Inch Plant - Tradescantia
I have this pretty colorful foliage plant growing in water on my kitchen windowsill. A perennial to warmer climates, it is often grown indoors as a houseplant, but you probably have seen it many times in hanging baskets. Indoors, it likes bright indirect light, so it's a great choice for a hanging basket outdoors in a shady area.
Vinca Vine
Also known as periwinkle, the image above is a variegated version of a good ground cover called Vinca. Perennial to zone 4, it grows well in both sun and shade. This lovely trailing plant can produce a pretty violet flower in spring, but it is mostly grown for the hardy, easy-to-grow foliage.
Licorice Plant - Helichrysum
As you can see from the image above, the Licorice plant is a beautiful, trailing, silvery, gray-green plant that easily fills a container, spilling over the edge. Another perennial for warm weather climates and makes a nice ground cover, the licorice plant comes in a few different varieties, from the silvery gray above, one with variegated cream bordered leaves called 'Licorice Splash,' and a golden one called 'Lemon Licorice.' This plant, like most, enjoys full sun but will tolerate a few hours of shade and is very drought-tolerant.
English Ivy
Here's another houseplant that you may not think of as a hanging basket plant, however, English Ivy makes a nice filler and is easy to grow. It's hardy to zone 4, so you may find that you can keep it in the basket in a sheltered spot all winter and bring it back in the spring. English Ivy grows well in shade, as opposed to many of the selections here. It's also known as a traditional ground cover, though many consider it invasive, so you may want to keep it in pots and baskets.
Dead Nettle - Lamium
Another favorite that I buy over and over. Though I find it will over-winter often for me, as it is hardy to zone 4. This pretty plant has both attractive foliage and beautiful flowers ranging in color from white to shades of purple. Part of the mint family, it grows vigorously in shade or partial sun.
Trailing Verbena
Last but not least is trailing Verbena. You will probably find many upright verbena plants at the nursery, but this trailing version is perfect for hanging baskets. Said to be perennial to zones 9-11, it's treated as an annual in my neck of the woods. It likes full sun, but it also does well in the heat, making it a great performer in summer. I love it for hanging baskets, but it is also used in gardens as a ground cover for its low and spreading habit.
House Plants that Trail or Vine
If you are an avid indoor plant person, you can take cuttings from your house plants to use in hanging baskets, too.
I hope this list gives you a little inspiration for creating your own hanging basket combinations to enjoy this season and many more to come.
Sheryl
thank you for your posts! I always enjoy them!
Patti Estep
That's great to hear Sheryl. Thank you!