Pick Drought-Resistant Plants

The biggest challenge of growing beautiful hanging baskets is keeping them from drying out. You can make maintenance a breeze by planting drought-tolerant hens and chicks, echeveria, sedum, or other succulents. They're an unusual hanging basket idea but require next to no watering, even in hot, sunny situations. Tie two hanging baskets together to create a fun DIY succulent orb, perfect for a spot in full sun.

A. Hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) — 1

Go With Old-Fashioned Favorites

Even though they're old-fashioned, geraniums are still a top pick for hot, sunny garden beds—and they mix well with just about everything. It's no wonder they're tried-and-true favorites for containers and hanging baskets, too. This red geranium is dressed up with a flowing skirt of draping ivy, blue lobelia, and a top hat of a simple dracaena for a classic look in a full sun location.

A. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Designer Cherry') — 1

B. Dracaena marginata — 1

C. Lobelia 'Waterfall Blue' — 4

D. Ivy (Hedera helix) — 3

Make a Statement with Bold Colors

It's tough to pick which is brighter—the hot pink petunias and geraniums or the bold yellow marigolds. Either way, they're great colors to catch the eye from a block away. Up close, the mix of bloom sizes creates visual interest on a more subtle level. This basket will sizzle all summer long in a sunny spot.

A. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Designer Cherry') — 1

B. Swan river daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia 'Mini Yellow') — 1

C. Nirembergia 'Purple Robe' — 3

D. Marigold (Tagetes 'Lemon Gem') — 3

E. Petunia 'Supercascade Rose' — 1

Use Soft Textures

Plants with small foliage and flowers create a fine texture that adds a touch of subtlety to your landscape. We love this simple but unusual hanging basket idea—it's like a touch of snow in summer. This basket is best in full sun.

A. Swan River daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia) — 3

B. Bacopa (Sutera 'Snowstorm') — 3

C. Asparagus fern (Asparagus sprengeri) — 1

Pick Plants with Bright Foliage

Golden and chartreuse foliage are an excellent choice for adding color and excitement to a shady spot. Here, the yellow tones of a sweet potato vine contrast well with the hot pink blooms of a fuchsia. This combo will do best in a part sun location.

A. Fuchsia magellanica 'Variegata' — 1

B. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita') — 1

Choose a Classic

Hanging baskets often rely on various plants to create contrasts in color or texture. But you can create equally good looks without going overboard, even in a shady spot, with impatiens in similar colors. While impatiens aren't an unusual hanging basket idea, they're reliable and will add color with their delicate-looking blooms from early summer to frost.

A. Impatiens 'Victorian Lilac' — 3

B. Impatiens 'Xtreme Pink' — 3

Use a Mix of Colors

Here's a great example of how unusual annual plants can add lots of interest to your hanging basket. Old-fashioned impatiens and wax begonias are no-fail choices for shade—but in this basket, they're enhanced by purple-leaf alternanthera and purple-flowering torenia. All of these plants will do well in part shade.

A. Alternanthera 'Ruby' — 1

B. Torenia 'Catalina Blue' — 2

C. Impatiens 'Accent' series — 5

D. Wax begonia (Begonia 'Prelude Red') — 2

Try a Patriotic Theme

Bold and bright—what's not to enjoy about a red, white, and blue combo? Use lush, trailing plants like these to overflow a traditional hanging basket and eventually cover it with a skirt of eye-catching color. This basket grows best in full sun.

A. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple' — 2

B. Verbena 'Aztec Cherry Red' — 1

C. Snapdragon (Antirrhinum 'Bells White') — 2

Pick an Unusual Plant

While geraniums and petunias are classic favorites, don't be afraid to take a chance with a new plant for an unusual hanging basket idea your friends will ooh and ahh over. Here, butterfly orchid, an underused but long-blooming tomato relative, does the job perfectly. This colorful combo will prefer a shady spot and will stop blooming once summer heat sets in.

A. Schizanthus 'Treasure Trove' series — 5

B. Cyclamen 'Laser White' — 2

Contrast Colors

Create a "wow" moment using colors opposite each other on the color wheel. Here, for example, rich purple makes a stunning contrast to golden-chartreuse. Plus, you'll get the bonus of the wonderful scent—heliotrope is one of the most fragrant flowers you can use in hanging baskets. Place this basket in full sun to part shade.

A. Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare 'Limelight') — 2

B. Heliotrope (Heliotropium 'Marine') — 2

C. Torenia 'Summer Wave Blue' — 2

D. Vinca major 'Wojo's Jem' — 3

E. Clerodendrum thompsoniae — 1

Select Fragrant Favorites

Create a container that's as pleasing to your nose as it is your eyes by using fragrant plants. This combo mixes the spicy scent of dianthus with the subtle sweetness of viola for a basket you'll want next to a window or on your deck or patio. This basket is best in full sun.

Test Garden Tip:

A. Osteospermum 'Serenity Sunburst' — 3

B. Viola 'Sorbet Purple Duet' — 4

C. Dianthus 'Cinnamon Red Hots' — 2

Think Small But Mighty

Small baskets can create as big an impact as larger ones—just pick the right plants. The secret to success is to go for smaller plants with colorful leaves like coleus and variegated varieties of favorites like vinca. Add in an impatiens, and you'll have a colorful basket to brighten a shady spot all summer.

A. Vinca 'Variegata' — 1

B. New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens 'Sonic White') — 1

C. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Trailing Plum') — 1

Let Your Houseplants Spend a Summer Outdoors

Here's a tip for saving money when creating hanging baskets: Use what you have. Many houseplants grow well outdoors in a shaded spot. Rex begonias, for example, play off each other to great effect. In fall, bring them back indoors to enjoy them for the winter season.

A. Begonia 'Black Fang' — 1

B. Begonia 'Chocolate Cream' — 1

Use Full, Double Flowers

You can't go wrong decorating a shady nook with the rose-like flowers of tuberous begonia and double impatiens. They'll add that little something extra to your hanging basket and keep on blooming all summer long. Look for double impatiens in a wide range of colors, from white to pink to red, and even bi-colors.

A. Impatiens 'Fiesta Rose' — 2

B. Tuberous begonia (Begonia 'Nonstop Yellow') — 1

C. Bacopa (Sutera 'Abunda Blue') — 3

Create Elegance

With their gorgeous shape and graceful hanging blooms, it's no wonder fuchsias are favorites for cool, shady spots. They're unmatched for their elegance. Fuchsias offer a great bonus, too: Hummingbirds love them.

A. Fuchsia 'Diva Bridal Pink' — 3

Change Through the Seasons

Your baskets don't have to be the same from spring to fall. Keep your display looking great by choosing cool-season plants for spring, such as these violas, then heat-lovers for summer. Then, when temperatures drop in fall, replace your spent summer plants with more cool-season beauties.

A. Viola 'Cutie Pie' — 10

Pick Your Favorite Color

Let your hanging baskets reflect your personality by filling them with your favorite color. Here's an unusual hanging basket idea for fans of all things pink: begonias, impatiens, and sweet alyssum in various shades, set off with a few white impatiens. Hang these beauties in a shady spot, then stand back and watch the show.

A. Tuberous begonia (Begonia Nonstop Pink) — 1

B. Impatiens 'Fanfare Fuchsia' — 2

C. Impatiens 'Dazzler White' — 3

D. Sweet alyssum (Lobularia 'Snow Crystals') — 4

Create Interest with Rich Colors

You can't go wrong with any petunias in the Wave series for tons of flower power on an easy-to-grow plant that thrives in full sun. One of our favorites is Easy Wave Blue—its deep purple-blue tones make it a showstopper by itself, or combine it with softer, lighter colors for a bit of contrast.

A. Petunia Easy Wave Blue — 1

B. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret White' — 2

C. Diascia 'Salmon Supreme' — 2

Have Fun with Neat Plants

A lavender-blue streptocarpella (an African violet relative, actually) is intriguing enough that your guests won't be able to resist taking a closer look. This nonstop bloomer is a perfect companion for anything orange or yellow—such as the glowing orange osteospermum here. This basket will do best in a part shade location.

A. Streptocarpella 'Concord Blue' — 2

B. Bacopa (Sutera 'Snowstorm') — 2

C. Osteospermum 'Orange Symphony' — 2

Use Soft Colors to Create a Romantic Look

Color can affect your mood—so use it to your advantage. Here's a great example; pastel shades of lavender and fuchsia pop with a bit of white to create a soft, romantic look in a sunny spot. The soothing, sun-loving combo is perfect for dressing up a front porch where you can relax with a good book and a glass of lemonade.

A. Calibrachoa 'Flamingo' — 2

B. Petunia 'Supertunia Priscilla' — 2

C. Verbena 'Wildfire White' — 2

Make Magic With a Mound of Color

See the difference a few accent colors make? This container uses some of the same plants as the last one, but the warm, glowing shades create an unusual hanging basket idea. This exciting combo suits a sunny spot where you entertain (like a deck or patio) because of its energizing, festive feel.

A. Petunia 'Supertunia Priscilla' — 2

B. Verbena 'Aztec Silver Magic' — 2

C. Calibrachoa 'Starlette Yellow' — 2

D. Diascia 'Diamonte Apricot' — 2

Consult the Color Wheel

Another secret that interior and garden designers often use is to mix colors that jump a couple of spots on the color wheel. Here, for example, pale yellow adds subtle interest to this otherwise pink-red color combo of sun-loving calibrachoa and verbena.

A. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Light Pink' — 2

B. Bidens 'Solaire' — 2

C. Verbena 'Patio Hot Pink' — 2

Try Contrasting Colors

Use contrasting colors to add an eye-catching display to your garden. Orange and purple is a no-fail mix that will always make an impact. Weave in silvery tones (from licorice vines, here), like in this arrangement, to enhance the effect. Try it in full sun to part shade location.

A. Osteospermum 'Symphony Orange' — 2

B. Licorice vine (Helichrysum petiolare) — 2

C. Bacopa (Sutera 'Abunda Blue') — 2

D. Verbena 'Aztec Grape Magic'

Select Super Bloomers

Super bloomers like sun-loving verbena and calibrachoa are ready to start putting on a show as soon as you plant them. They're dependable performers and will keep blooming to add lots of color to your landscape all summer.

A. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple' — 2

B. Snapdragon (Antirrhinum 'Luminaire Yellow') — 2

C. Verbena 'Aztec Cherry Red' — 2

Heat Things Up With Warm Colors

These warm reds and pinks combine in this unusual hanging basket idea for a fireball of color to add a touch of drama to your landscape. We especially love the inclusion of the coleus; its deeply colored foliage adds beautiful depth to the planting. Place this basket in a spot with full sun for best color.

A. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Trailing Rose') — 2

B. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Light Pink' — 2

C. Verbena 'Wildfire Rose' — 2