Accessing a porch, patio or deck

Accessing a porch, patio or deck with a beautiful hanging basket of flowers is a great way to maximize your outdoor space. Combine plants with upright, mounding or trailing habits for a "thriller, spiller, filler" effect. Mix and match varieties with flowers and leaves in different shapes and colors. Move baskets around the yard or replace with new plants for a fresh look all summer long.

1. Petunia

Showy pink and white striped flowers bloom continuously from planting to frost on sturdy stems up to 24" long. This vigorous grower with a full mounding habit can serve as a filler or sprinkler element in a hanging plant or container. Use by itself or in combination with other trailing annuals.

2. Calibrachoa

Bring the tropics to your yard with the warm sunset hues of this prolific bloomer. Nonstop color occurs from planting to frost, with self-cleaning flowers on branches up to 18" long. Give plants an occasional cut for better branching and a fuller appearance.

3. Browallia

Provalia expands the list of options for shade, and Impatiens valeriana is a beautiful alternative to endless light. The brilliant violet-purple flowers are crowned by emerald-green foliage that never fades in any season. This blooming annual loves heat and doesn't need much fertilization to thrive.

4. Lobularia

The sweetly scented pale lavender flowers of sweet alyssum add a delicate touch to baskets and containers. Mounting plants produce long stems that can stack up to 36" long. Plant alone in a large basket or combine with similar vigorous moisture-loving annuals such as petunias, nemesia or calibrachoa.

5. Begonia

Fragrant double yellow flowers with an apricot crust bloom profusely throughout summer. A full tier habit makes it a perfect choice for hanging baskets. The Double Delight series is admirably sun tolerant in cooler climates, but prefers some shade in the south. Use as a stand-alone accent or in combination with trailing plants such as Silver Falls™ Dichondra or Wishbone Flower.

6. Double Impatiens

Brighten up a patio or porch with baskets of flowers in brilliant orange, salmon and peach tones. Beautiful rosebud flowers are long blooming and self cleaning. Grow this reliable shade lover for extra color by pairing it with the bright color of coleus, caladium, or sweet potato vine.

7. Lobelia

Sky blue flowers go with a wide range of color schemes, complementing cool-toned plants or contrasting bold colors. This well-branched shrub forms a full tiered habit up to 24” tall perfect for hanging baskets. More heat tolerant than older lobelia varieties, plants can be cut back to encourage new growth and blooms.