How to plant a hanging basket
Updated: October 2026
The basket is on the kitchen floor and you want it on the wall without losing the plants to a late frost or a dry weekend. This page is the sequence: when to plant in the UK, how to line the basket you bought, what to put in it, and how to water without washing the feed straight through. It follows Royal Horticultural Society and Gardeners' World methods, mapped onto the bowls in our [hanging basket comparison](/hub/plant-accessories/hanging-basket). Peter F., editor, 22 October 2026. There is no ranking here. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The basket is on the kitchen floor and you want it on the wall without losing the plants to a late frost or a dry weekend.
The basket is on the kitchen floor and you want it on the wall without losing the plants to a late frost or a dry weekend. This page is the sequence: when to plant in the UK, how to line the basket you bought, what to put in it, and how to water without washing the feed straight through. It follows Royal Horticultural Society and Gardeners' World methods, mapped onto the bowls in our hanging basket comparison. Peter F., editor, 22 October 2026. There is no ranking here. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Liner | Drainage | How you plant | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ADEPTNA ADEPTNA (12 inch cone pair) | Included | Not stated | Open bowl | 9.6 | about £12.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  Fyne-Finds Fyne-Finds (30 cm pair) | Polythene | Often pierced | Open bowl | 9.2 | about £9.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  SQOKHT SQOKHT (30.48 cm pair) | Solid bowl | Yes | Top only | 9.2 | about £9.99 | View offer |
On this page
When to plant in the UK
Summer bedding can go in from late April if the basket stays frost-free. The RHS says tender plants go outside only after the last frost, often late May or early June. A basket filled in April and hung on a cold wall in May wastes the plugs.
Winter baskets go in from September to November. The RHS says not to feed them like summer bedding, and gel is a poor addition when the compost already stays wet. Plant on a bench before you hang anything. Fixing and the neighbour below are on the hanging basket balcony page.
Line the basket you actually bought
Gardeners' World lines open coir with plastic and cuts a few drainage holes. A small circle in the base slows the first rush without sealing the bowl. Loose coir dries from the sides on a hot day. Fyne-Finds liners often arrive already pierced. Kingfisher lists drainage as yes.
SQOKHT's solid bowls are planted from the top. Do not stab the base, or you puncture the well. ADEPTNA's 26 cm plug comes out outdoors. On a balcony you may leave it in, and a wet week can waterlog the roots. Tosnail includes coco. The extra fabric liner is not in the box. A cotton or seagrass holder is a sleeve for a pot. Do not tip compost into it.
Compost, plants and the sides
Use peat-free multipurpose compost, as the RHS steps say. John Innes peat-free adds weight you do not need on a balcony hook. Gel and slow-release feed suit summer. Leave both out of a winter planting.
Put a taller plant in the middle, fillers around it and trailers at the edge. Side planting needs openings in the liner. SQOKHT's solid bowls cannot do that. Brookside Nursery's rule of thumb is about six or seven plants in a 12 inch basket and about seven or eight in a 14 inch, if the bowl is deep. A Tosnail cup at 13 cm will not take that count. Firm the compost to just below the rim.
Water, feed and deadhead
Water when the top 2-3 cm are dry. In a hot spell the RHS expects that often to be daily. An RHS container study found that water pouring out of the bottom is not required. Runoff wastes feed.
A wilted basket comes down into a bucket, then drains before it goes back up. Do not leave it overnight. Feed summer baskets if you did not use granules. Do not feed winter bedding. Which bowl you bought is on the hanging basket buying guide. A reservoir changes the gap, on the self-watering hanging basket page.
Date, liner, then the finger test
If the plants are tender, keep the basket frost-free until late May or early June, even if you filled it in late April. If the bowl is open coir or rattan, give water a way out. If it is a solid reservoir, plant from the top and do not pierce the well. After that, water when the top 2-3 cm are dry, and stop before the feed runs onto the patio.
Common questions
When can I hang a summer basket outside?
Plant from late April if the basket stays frost-free, and hang tender bedding outside after the last frost, often late May or early June. The RHS gives that window. A cold garden or a northern site can push the date later. Winter baskets go in from September to November and can stay out. If you are unsure of your last frost, keep the basket in a porch.
Do I need moss or a bought liner?
A bought liner is enough. Kingfisher and the ADEPTNA cones include one. Fyne-Finds reviews often describe polythene that is already pierced. For a coco cup such as Tosnail, seat the coir and add a plastic sheet with a few holes if you want the Gardeners' World method. Moss is traditional and not required. A cotton holder does not get a moss lining and a fill of compost.
What compost should I use?
Peat-free multipurpose, as the RHS steps say. A little John Innes peat-free can firm the mix and it adds weight on the bracket. Gel and slow-release feed suit summer. Leave both out of a winter planting, which the RHS does not feed like summer bedding. Garden soil alone in a shallow cup slumps and drains badly.
How often do I water?
Check the top 2-3 cm with a finger, and water when that layer is dry. In hot, windy weather that can be every day. You do not need to water until it pours out of the bottom. A wilted basket comes down into a bucket, then drains, then goes back up. A reservoir lengthens the gap. It does not cancel the finger test.
Can I plant through the sides of a plastic bowl?
Side planting needs holes in a liner or a wire basket. SQOKHT's solid bowls, and ADEPTNA's 26 cm plastic bowl, are top-planted only. Trailers can still spill over the rim. If you want a ball of flowers all round, you need an open liner you can cut. Cutting a reservoir to make side holes defeats the well.
How do I re-wet a basket that has dried out?
Take it off the hook and stand it in a bucket until the root ball has swollen. Let it drain before you hang it, so you are not lifting a dripping weight. The RHS describes that recovery for a wilted basket. Watering a bone-dry surface from above often runs down the gap at the liner and misses the roots. After it recovers, go back to the 2-3 cm test.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these ten listings. Last checked 22 October 2026.
- RHS, Hanging baskets (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS, How to plant a hanging basket (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS, Watering containers experiment (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS, Wisley hanging-basket watering trial (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World, 10 steps to long-lasting hanging baskets (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Hanging Basket Co, Fixings guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)