Jazz up your backyard space and impress neighbors by adding some hanging baskets to your outdoor space. Whether it’s a pop of color from a blooming plant or interesting trailing vines, putting plants at eye level is a great and interesting way to liven up any outdoor area. Here at Gordon Boswell,  we love all blooming and green plants, so we’ve put together a collection of ideas for hanging baskets to inspire you.

Best Hanging Baskets for the Sun

When choosing a plant for the sunniest parts of your backyard, be sure to choose one that is heat tolerant and loves being in the sun. A few good suggestions are Million Bells, Bougainvillea, Portulaca, Petunias, and Sunpatiens. Keep in mind that hanging plants typically dry out quicker than plants in the ground, so check their water levels regularly. On particularly windy and sunny days, some plants may need to be watered twice.

Best Hanging Baskets for the Shade

For shady areas, your best bets are Begonias, ferns, Bleeding Heart, Hellebores, and Lungwort. To keep your hanging plants looking healthy, trim back wayward growing vines as needed and fertilize often.

Where to Put Hanging Baskets Outside

There are a number of places you can hang your baskets outside, like from the limbs of a large tree, from your porch, or from a trellis or gazebo. You could stick a standing metal hanger rod in the ground for hanging your plants or bolt hangers onto the side of your fence for a decorative line of hanging baskets.

DIY Hanging Baskets

From old birdcages to metal colanders, there’s a large variety of objects around the house you could use for DIY hanging baskets. Just remember, the container should be roomy enough for the plant to grow and should have drainage holes. For the hanger, you could macramé an original one, or you can find chains, ropes, or wire for making a DIY hanger. There are plenty of options once you get your creative mind going.

For a little more inspiration and cool hanging basket ideas, check out our Pinterest board here.