Trailing Plants for Suspended Flower Gardens
Window Boxes and Hanging Planters are Good for Cascading Plants
Mar 17, 2009
Hanging planters or window boxes benefit by having plants trailing down from the container garden. Gardeners have an abundance of trailing foliage plant or flowering vine ideas that provide vertical interest and movement for a flower garden.
Houseplant Trailers
Many types of tropical trailing plants are grown as houseplants during winter. A tropical trailer can be planted in a hanging basket with flowering plants or simply moved outside during summer. The following plants are easy to propagate making these trailers economical to grow, as well:
- Hedera helix, commonly called English ivy, is hardy in zone 4 - 9 but often grown as a houseplant. Varieties include all green and variegated leaf colors. The English ivy needs moist well draining soil and prefers part shade outdoors but bright light inside.
- Tradescantia is a common trailing houseplant that has variegated leaves in green and cream or light and dark shades of purple. Gardeners should avoid direct sun when placing this plant outside.
- Chlorophytum, more widely known as spider plant, is popular for the long strapping variegated leaves. Long stolons will grow multiple plantlets hanging from the main plant. One spider plant can make a dramatic hanging basket.
- Setcreasea, called purple heart, is grown only for foliage, although it will produce tiny flowers when growing outside in morning sun. The purple heart plant has a strong structure with long narrow leaves. The plant habit and purplish coloring complements many types of Wave® petunias.
A flowering vine can wind itself around fencing or trail from a hanging container. Flowering vine plants have strong stems able to hold on, even in strong weather. Each of these plants has trumpet shaped blooms and will attract hummingbirds to flower gardens:
- The Ipomoea morning glories will grow 6’ – 12’ long and come in many colors. Morning glories tolerate full sun but can be invasive when planted in the ground in some regions.
- Madevilla is a flowering tropical vine that grows 10’ - 12’ long in full sun. The trumpet shaped flowers bloom in pink or red colors.
- Hyacinth Bean is an annual, botanically known as Lablab purpureus, that grows 10’ - 12.’ The plant has white or purple flowers and reddish purple seedpods.
Trailing Annual Foliage Plants
Trailing foliage plants treated as annuals in outdoor flower gardens provide dramatic shape and color but are easy to grow. Plant annual foliage plants alone or in mixed plant combinations.
Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ is a severely vertical plant and can be used in mixed planting outside. The plant easily grows many feet and has tiny heart shaped leaves that are silvery gray.
Another Ipomoea called sweet potato vine, is well known by cultivar names, such as ‘Marguerite,” which is lime green and ‘Blackie,’ that is dark purple with deeply incised leaves. Although not a long trailer, sweet potato vine cascades, adds color and fills in empty space.
Cascading Filler Plants
Some plants are called fillers because they easily fill in the open space between plants. Fillers that slightly cascade over the edge but do not grow long, still add vertical interest. A popular filler plant called fiber optics has a grassy appearance. The Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ is part of the spurge family, tolerates heat and is drought tolerant.
A trailing plant added to containers is a creative idea for vertical interest and movement in a flower garden. Choose plants that attract pollinators or have colorful flowers for added value.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
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