DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade

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Today I’m showing you the Hanging Basket Plants that I created for a shady area on my deck. You only need three types of plants to create this stunning and wow-worthy arrangement.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade

This post was a happy accident. Last year, I found these beautiful shade loving hanging basket plants at one of my favorite local greenhouses. I purchased three to hang on my deck and was so pleased with how they filled out throughout the summer.

Here is how they looked at their peak:

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower

(To be honest, I totally forgot to snap some dedicated photos of them at their best. These photos were of the screen doors I had installed last year and my hanging baskets just happened to make it into the photos.)

And here is another picture of them earlier in the season:

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower

It turned out to be a really striking combination. Even my mom wanted to buy a few for her house. However, when I went to buy them again this year, the greenhouse didn’t recreate this combination. Whomp! Initially, I was totally bummed out. However, I took this opportunity to just plant them up myself. While I wouldn’t get that initial impact of an already planted and filled out hanging basket, I would still get the combination I loved; plus it would be fun to watch them grow throughout the summer months.

As an added bonus, I get to share the process with you! Let me walk you through it.

How to Create a Hanging Basket Plant for Shade:

Let’s start with a materials list. Here’s what you will need:

– Plants:
1 large Streptocarpella*
3 (3-inch pots) Vinca Vine (Vinca Major)
3 (4-inch pots) Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia)

*I used a 10-inch hanging basket. If you can’t find one planted this way, I’d say you need about three or four 4-inch pots)

– Potting mix:
Any will do. I like this moisture control potting mix from Miracle-Gro.

– Slow Release Fertilizer:
I’m using this variety HERE. This is optional. I haven’t used this in the past, but I plan to use it in all of my container plantings this year to see if it makes a difference.

– Hanging Basket:
I found the one I’m using HERE. I love it! The texture is great and the 18″ diameter is a bit larger than your normal hanging basket size. They do have some smaller ones HERE. I bought some of these for my ferns.

– Other:
a garden trowel, gardening gloves, and watering can (I’ve linked my favorites. You can also find more of my gardening essentials in the garden section of my Amazon Storefront.)

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

Planting a Shade-Loving Hanging Basket:

With all of our supplies in hand, let’s plant!

Start by creating some drainage holes in your hanging basket. This one is lined with plastic, so I poked a few holes in it with a knife so that the basket could easily drain. (Your particular basket may not be lined with plastic. Just be sure to check for proper drainage before planting.)

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

Next, fill your hanging basket with your potting soil. I do about 3/4 of the way full and then top it off once my plants are in place. You’ll also want to mix in your slow release fertilizer now. (I’m using this one.) Use the recommended amount based on your particular fertilizer. For mine, I did two scoops per basket.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

Next, start planting!

I began with my large Streptocarpella in the middle.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

After that, I planted three of my Creeping Jenny. One at 2 o’clock, one at 6 o’clock, and one at 10 o’clock. One at 12 o’clock, one at 4 o’clock, and one at 8 o’clock.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

Then, my Vinca went in. One at 12 o’clock, one at 4 o’clock, and one at 8 o’clock.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

With all of my plants in place I filled in with potting soil, packed everything in nicely, and then gave them a good watering.

After that, they were ready to hang! I love these particular hanging basket planters as they come with a chain for hanging. It ended up being the perfect height for my particular location.

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

All that’s left to do is watch them grow. I also highly recommend watering with a water soluble fertilizer (like this one) once a week. In fact, I water all of my outdoor flowering containers with fertilizer once a week. I typically do it on Monday and call the process Miracle-Gro Monday. It’s a nice reminder every week.

I know that my hanging basket plants don’t look like much now, but here’s how I’m hoping they will look in the coming weeks:

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower

DIY Hanging Basket Plant for Shade #plant #flowers #hangingbasket #shade #container #garden #flowering #combination #hangingflower #creepingjenny #vincavine

I’ll be sure to update you on the progress of my Shade-Loving Hanging Baskets here on the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram if you want to see their progress there as well.

I hope this tutorial was helpful for anyone out there looking for a dynamic shade-loving hanging basket plant idea.

Happy Gardening, friends!

Looking for more more of my gardening ideas? Check out these posts:

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20 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this hanging basket. I’ve been looking for a shade hanging basket for a long time. I have a carport and have not found much that will live without sun! It will get indoors sunlight!

  2. Absolutely stunning! The font of my home is very shady and I often have a challenge to find plants that will work there. I’ve been growing a streptocarparella indoors all winter and I was planning to put it out there and now I know exactly how to do it! Thank you so much for the beautiful inspiration!

  3. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful creation! I actually have the same pots I bought two years ago and love them. I have always had issues with my hanging flowers not blooming enough due to shade on my front porch and choosing wrong type of flowers for shade (geraniums). I didn’t think shade flowers would look good hanging but you have proven me wrong! Can’t wait to try this.

    1. Just went to the nursery (5/21) and was told Streptocarpella is generally around just before Mother’s Day. I did find it in hanging baskets, so I’m using that. But assuming my first attempt at these is one I’ll want to repeat annually, I put a reminder in my phone to shop in early May next year. Perhaps Lobelia and a small geranium would work?

  4. Hello!! I know I’m two years late, but did these turn out well for you? I would LIVE to give this a shot for my shady front porch!

    1. Yep! I’ve been doing this for 3 years now. They flourish every year. My Mom does them two and her’s get morning sun and they still do really well.

      xo Michael

  5. Michael,
    Your hanging basket is to be seriously envied! I love it. It looks so sumptuous by summer’s end. Thanks so much for sharing – I have vinca major which I planted in the ground yrs ago and now spend a good amount of time trying to eradicate it! It’s great for containers.

  6. Beautiful hanging baskets! Thanks for the details. I never know how many plants to put in one of those hanging baskets.
    I love the carpet in your outdoor space! Where is it available from?

  7. These are absolutely stunning! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been searching for a hanging basket “recipe” for my shady front porch. I’m totally planting these up this week. 🙂

  8. Those are amazing baskets! Those flowers were my mom’s favorite.
    One thing I do during a hot dry summer is to submerge my hanging baskets in a large feed bucket I purchased at Farm n Fleet and filled with MiracleGro diluted according to directions. I let them sit in there a few minutes and rehang them. When it’s hot and dry the water runs off a hanging basket before it absorbs into the soil. This way the soil sucks it up and you won’t have to water as often.