Caring for your Native Hanging Basket

Many California native plants do well in hanging baskets. To keep your plants looking their best and performing well year after year, it is important to water thoroughly, and trim back the plants regularly. Attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your windows from miles around with a native plant hanging basket.

Water

Water your hanging basket once or twice a week (depending on sun exposure), by thoroughly soaking moss on the outside of the basket (if applicable) with a light spray of water, and then watering in the top with a soft rain type nozzle, until a heavy stream of water pours out the bottom. If dripping water is a problem (on a balcony situation, for example), use a spray bottle to mist the outside of the basket regularly and pour smaller amounts of water at the base of each plant, catching the drips in a pan or bucket directly underneath. In the summer, every other watering could include soaking the entire basket in a deep tub of water for several hours, to ensure thorough, even moisture throughout. Take care not to break off or smash any parts of plants that may be hanging over or growing out the sides of the basket.

Pruning

Twice a year, before and after flowering (early fall and late spring), thin the woody plants in the basket and clean up the herbaceous plants by removing spent flowers, dead leaves and stems, and “pinching back” the tips of new growth to encourage fullness and redirect growth.

Exposure

Depending on the plants in your basket, part shade is usually the ideal exposure. An east or north facing overhang is the perfect place to hang your new native plants. If your basket contains plants that prefer full sun (Dudleyas, Salvias, Zauschnerias…), it is best to find a spot where it receives light most of the day, but is protected from harsh afternoon sun, as this tends to dry and wilt the plants too quickly.