Trailing, cascading flowers make ideal hanging basket designs. The draping branches spill out over the container to create a magnificent display for a front porch or backyard patio. Hanging from a pergola, hanging baskets extend color to the garden for a colorful accent. Grown in a wide range of colors and sizes, trailing flowers with nonstop, prolific blooms make the best flower types for hanging baskets.
Surfinia petunia (Petunia integrifolia) is an annual flower with a trailing and billowing form, ideal for a hanging basket. The five-lobed flower heads of surfinia petunia range in color from deep purple to lavender and grow 1 ½ inches wide. The bright green and sticky branching leaves help to create the billowing shape of the plant. Surfinia petunia has a rapid growth rate and cascades up to 3 feet over a hanging basket, creating a vibrant landscape addition. The masses of blooms emerge in May to last until the first frost, making for a long-lasting container variety. To prolong flowering on the surfinia petunia, deadhead or remove the spent blooms as soon as they are noticeable. Surfinia petunia requires full sun only and loamy soil with a moderate amount of moisture. Hardy in all USDA planting zones.
Fuchsia 'Coralle' is a perennial flower with a rapid growth rate and trailing, pendulous shape, ideal tucked into a hanging basket. Growing up to 3 feet tall, fuchsia bears tubular flowers that are red to orange, creating a showy display. A hummingbird attractant, fuchsia flowers appear to be nodding down to the garden below. The leaves on fuchsia are dark green and velvet-like with a maroon underside, creating a stunning color combination. Fuchsia requires partial shade with full morning sun and well-drained, moist soil. They do not tolerate overwatering. The zones for planting are 9 to 11.
Verbena 'Imagination' (Verbena speciosa 'Imagination') is an annual flower with a rapid growth rate and spreading habit, ideal for a hanging basket. Growing 1 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, verbena imagination has masses of purple blooms that cover the plant from spring until the first frost. Drought- and frost-tolerant, verbena attracts butterflies to the puffball-like blooms. The bright green, dissected foliage of verbena contrast with the purple blossoms to create a striking annual. Verbena imagination requires full sun only and well-drained, moist soil to thrive. When growing in containers like a hanging basket, fertilize monthly to keep the flower healthy. The zones for planting are 10 to 11.