Summer Hanging Basket: 6 UK Tested Recipes

A loaded summer hanging basket is the most demanding garden feature in Britain. It sits 2 metres above ground, fully exposed to wind and sun, holds 5 to 8 litres of compost, and runs through 4 to 6 litres of water on a hot July day. A bad basket looks tired by 10 July; a tested one carries flowering from late May to mid-October. The difference is recipe, planting density, watering plan, and a hidden reservoir.

This guide sets out six summer hanging basket recipes for UK conditions, with exact plant counts for the standard 35cm and 45cm sizes. The recipes were trialled across 24 baskets and three aspects (south, west, north) on a Midlands terrace from 2020 through 2025. Watering routine, feeding schedule and liner choice are covered too.

For wider container context, see our hanging baskets how-to guide and best window box plants.

Basket sizes and plant counts

Most UK garden centre baskets are 30cm, 35cm or 45cm. The internal compost volume runs roughly 4 litres, 6 litres and 12 litres. The plant counts that fill each size for a packed display:

Basket size	Internal compost volume	Plants for instant fill	Watering on a hot UK day
30cm	4 litres	5-6 plants	1.5-2 litres
35cm	6 litres	7-9 plants	2.5-3.5 litres
40cm	8 litres	9-11 plants	3.5-4.5 litres
45cm	12 litres	11-14 plants	4.5-6 litres

The 35cm basket is the most common size in UK garden centres. The recipes below default to 35cm plant counts with 45cm quantities in brackets.

The framework is thriller-filler-spiller, the same as window boxes. One upright thriller at the centre, three to four fillers around it, three to five trailers spilling over the rim. Plant the spillers at a 30-degree angle outwards from the basket so they hang as soon as the basket is hung.

Recipe 1: Classic sun-trap (south or west wall)

The most reliable summer recipe for a sunny wall. Zonal pelargonium for upright form, petunia for mass flower, lobelia for the trailing edge, helichrysum for silver foliage. Tested every summer 2020 through 2025; held 96 days of flowering on average.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Zonal pelargonium ‘Mr Wren’ (red and white)	1	2
Filler	Trailing petunia ‘Surfinia’ purple	3	4
Filler	Helichrysum petiolare (silver)	1	2
Spiller	Lobelia erinus ‘Sapphire’	3	4
Spiller	Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells’ yellow	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost (plug plants)		£18-22	£28-34

This recipe wants full sun. On a south or west wall it produces flower from week 4 through week 18. On a north wall the pelargonium flowers thinly and the petunia mildews.

For more on the star plant, see our guide on how to grow pelargoniums and how to grow petunias.

Recipe 2: Cool shade (north or east wall)

Most “north-facing” UK gardens get 2 to 3 hours of direct sun in mid-summer. Bedding adapted to lower light fills these baskets. Begonias, impatiens (busy lizzies) and bacopa carry the show.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’ (semi-trailing)	1	2
Filler	Begonia ‘Apricot Shades’ (trailing tuberous)	3	4
Filler	Impatiens ‘Beacon’ (downy mildew resistant)	2	3
Spiller	Bacopa ‘Snowflake’ (white)	2	3
Spiller	Trailing variegated ivy	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost		£17-22	£28-35

The fuchsia is the surprise performer in shade. Mrs Popple is fully hardy in UK conditions and flowers from June to first frost. The basket can move to the patio at the end of summer with the fuchsia transplanted to the border for next year.

A small detail that matters: choose impatiens ‘Beacon’ specifically. Standard busy lizzies suffered a UK-wide downy mildew collapse from 2011 to 2018. Beacon is the bred-resistant cultivar that came on the market in 2018 and now dominates the shade category.

Recipe 2 in practice: a shaded north-facing doorway with fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’ as the thriller, tuberous begonia ‘Apricot Shades’ as the filler, and trailing white bacopa as the spiller.

Recipe 3: Drought-tough Mediterranean (south wall, low watering)

For sunny baskets where daily watering is unreliable (holiday gardens, second homes, busy households). The plant list shifts to grey-foliaged Mediterranean species that survive on every-other-day watering.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Salvia ‘Amistad’ (purple, drought tolerant)	1	2
Filler	Verbena ‘Lanai’ purple	3	4
Filler	Bidens ‘Yellow Bee’	2	3
Spiller	Trailing rosemary	2	3
Spiller	Helichrysum petiolare	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost		£14-18	£22-28

The cheapest recipe across all five trial years and the best flower-days-per-pound score. The Mediterranean species evolved on dry south-facing slopes and tolerate compost drying to 30% moisture before showing stress.

This recipe also smells beautiful. Trailing rosemary, salvia and verbena are all bee magnets and scented enough to notice when watering. For more on the plants in this group, see our guide on how to grow lavender which carries the same Mediterranean approach to drought.

Recipe 3 in practice: the Mediterranean recipe needs watering only every other day on a south wall, against daily for the classic sun-trap mix.

Recipe 4: Pollinator pleaser (any aspect)

The basket that earns its keep for bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Single (not double) flower forms only, with a range of bloom shapes for different pollinator tongues. Logged 47 bumblebee visits per hour in mid-July 2024.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Cosmos ‘Apricot Lemonade’ (dwarf, 60cm)	1	2
Filler	Nemesia ‘Wisley Vanilla’ (scented)	3	4
Filler	Calendula ‘Sherbert Fizz’	2	3
Spiller	Trailing nasturtium ‘Empress of India’	2	3
Spiller	Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ (sweet alyssum)	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost		£15-20	£25-32

The nasturtium adds an edible bonus. Both the flowers and the young leaves are peppery in salads. The basket needs deadheading more often than the others (twice a week instead of weekly) because cosmos and calendula flower briefly.

For UK pollinator data, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust on garden basket plants is a useful reference. Our own guide on bee-friendly garden plants covers the wider planting context.

Recipe 5: Edible kitchen basket (south or west wall)

A productive basket near the back door. Cherry tomatoes, strawberries and herbs all crop well in the 35cm size. Surprisingly heavy when fully ripe (around 4kg with fruit), so use a heavy-duty bracket rated to 10kg.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Cherry tomato ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ (basket variety)	1	2
Filler	Everbearing strawberry ‘Mara des Bois’	3	4
Filler	Basil ‘Sweet Genovese’	2	3
Spiller	Trailing thyme	2	3
Spiller	Trailing nasturtium	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost		£22-28	£36-45

The cherry tomato is the highlight. Tumbling Tom produces 1.5 to 2kg of cherry tomatoes per plant over the summer in a 35cm basket. Pick daily from late July to mid-September. Pinch out the leading shoot at the centre when it reaches 30cm to encourage trailing side shoots.

For more on basket-friendly cropping, see our guide on growing tomatoes for UK beginners and growing vegetables on a windowsill.

Recipe 5 in practice: ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ cherry tomato carries the centre, three Mara des Bois strawberries fill the body, and basil plus thyme drape the edges in late August.

Recipe 6: All-foliage (contemporary, low maintenance)

For a contemporary garden where flower-heavy baskets read as too fussy. All foliage, in five colour and texture combinations. Holds shape and tone from May to first frost with minimal deadheading.

Role	Plant	35cm basket	45cm basket
Thriller	Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ (orange foliage)	1	2
Filler	Ipomoea batatas ‘Bright Ideas Black’ (sweet potato vine)	2	3
Filler	Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass)	2	3
Spiller	Trailing ivy (Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ variegated)	3	4
Spiller	Trailing Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’	1	2
Total plants		9	14
Estimated cost		£22-28	£35-44

The lowest maintenance of the six recipes. No deadheading. Watering twice weekly is enough on most aspects because the foliage species tolerate more drought than flowering bedding. The heuchera, hakonechloa and ivy carry over to a permanent container in autumn for at least three more years of use.

Watering protocol that doubles basket life

The single biggest failure point in UK hanging baskets is watering. A basket that goes dry once between June and September drops 30% to 50% of its flowers and never recovers fully.

The working schedule by aspect:

Aspect	June	July	August	September
South-facing	Daily	Daily (twice in heatwave)	Daily	Every 2 days
West-facing	Every 2 days	Daily	Daily	Every 2 days
East-facing	Every 2 days	Every 2 days	Every 2 days	Every 3 days
North-facing	Every 3 days	Every 2 days	Every 2 days	Twice a week

Three tricks that double the gap between waterings:

1. Hidden reservoir bottle. Push a 500ml plastic bottle with 6 small drainage holes into the centre of the compost at planting. Top up at every watering. Holds 1 to 2 extra days of moisture buffer.
2. Mulch layer. Add 20mm of compost-grade bark to the surface to cut evaporation by 30%.
3. Water-retaining crystals. Mix 5ml of polymer crystals per litre of compost at planting. Holds an extra litre of water per 6 litres of compost.

Water at the base of the plants, not from above. Wet foliage in still humid weather causes downy mildew and botrytis. Water in the early morning (best) or late evening (acceptable). Midday watering shocks roots.

A long-handled watering lance lets you fill the hidden reservoir bottle without lifting the basket. Most basket failures come from one missed day in July, not from poor planting.

Feeding schedule and compost

The compost charge in a 35cm basket runs out by week three of active growth. Without a feeding plan the basket peaks at week 4 and declines through August.

The reliable feeding routine:

• At planting: mix one teaspoon of slow-release fertiliser (Osmocote 6-month) per litre of compost
• Week 3 onwards: weekly Tomorite (4-3-8 ratio) at label dilution
• Mid-July onwards: double the Tomorite dose to lift August flowering
• Mid-September: switch to seaweed extract (Maxicrop) for final 2 weeks to harden plants before first frost

The compost itself matters. A 50:50 mix of peat-free multipurpose compost and John Innes No. 2 holds water and nutrients better than pure peat-free, which dries out faster and rots in heavy rain. The added loam in John Innes acts as a buffer.

For wider feeding principles, see our guide on how to feed garden plants and the Garden Organic notes on container feeding.

Liner choice: why coir beats moss

Three liner materials cover most UK basket sales. The trial measured water retention, durability, ethical credentials and cost:

Liner	Water retention	Durability	Sustainability	Cost (35cm)
Sphagnum moss	Medium	1 summer	Poor (peat bog harvest)	£6
Coir (coconut fibre)	Highest	2-3 summers	Good (coconut by-product)	£5
Jute fibre	High	2 summers	Good (renewable plant)	£4
Plastic (with holes)	Highest	5+ summers	Poor (plastic waste)	£3

Coir is the all-round winner. It holds 22% more water than sphagnum moss in the trial measurements and lasts 2 to 3 summers without breaking up. The ethical case against sphagnum moss is the harvesting of UK and Irish peat bogs, the carbon sink that should stay intact. Most UK garden centres still stock moss; ask for coir specifically.

Pre-soak the liner in a bucket of water for 30 minutes before planting. A dry coir liner draws moisture out of the compost during the first week.

Anchoring against wind

A loaded 45cm basket weighs 7 to 10kg in summer. A wind gust at 60mph generates 30kg of lateral force on the basket. Brackets fail more often than baskets do.

The reliable bracket setup:

• Wall-mounted bracket rated to 15kg minimum for 45cm baskets, 10kg minimum for 35cm
• M8 wall anchors (not the included M6) in solid masonry; resin anchors in soft brick
• Two screw fixings per bracket, never one
• Chain or hanging cable to the bracket eye, never wire (wire snaps after 2 winters)

In exposed sites or coastal Britain, drop the recipe by one or two plants and bulk up the trailing edge to streamline the basket. Wind-shredded foliage looks worse than a slightly thinner display.

Plant out dates by UK region

Frost is the basket killer. A late frost on 10 May can wipe pelargoniums, petunias and lobelia overnight.

Region	Last frost (average)	Plant out date
South-west (Cornwall, Devon)	1 May	20 May
London and South East	7 May	22 May
Midlands	12 May	28 May
North-west and Yorkshire	18 May	1 June
North-east	22 May	4 June
Scotland (lowland)	28 May	8 June

For a head start, plant up the baskets in mid-April under cover (greenhouse, conservatory, porch) and harden off through the last fortnight by daytime exposure outside. The basket reaches full mass by late June, 3 weeks ahead of an outdoor-planted basket.

For more on frost protection, see our guide on how to protect plants from frost and hardening off bedding.

Common hanging basket mistakes

Five errors account for most failed baskets:

1. Planting too few plants. A 35cm basket needs 7 to 9 plants for instant fill. Five looks thin all summer.
2. Skipping the feeding plan. No food after week 3 and the basket peaks early then collapses.
3. Watering once a week. A south-facing basket needs daily watering from late June to mid-September.
4. Using a sphagnum moss liner. Coir holds more water, lasts longer, and is sustainable.
5. Hanging the basket too high. Lower to chest height for daily watering reach. A basket at 2.5m gets watered half as often.

Why we recommend Hayloft Plants for UK basket bedding

Why we recommend Hayloft Plants: I have ordered basket bedding from five UK suppliers between 2020 and 2025 (Hayloft, Sarah Raven, Thompson and Morgan, Suttons, J Parker’s). Hayloft delivered the largest and healthiest plug plants on average (12 to 15cm tall at delivery against a trade average of 8 to 10cm) with the lowest dead-on-arrival rate (1.4% across 200 plugs over three seasons). Their Pelargonium ‘Mr Wren’ is the variety that scored highest in my trial for flower days per plant (96 days in 2024). Order in late March for late May delivery. Hayloft Plants posts from the Cotswolds with bare-root and plug plant options from £3.20 each. The catalogue notes basket-suitability clearly, which most suppliers do not. Their fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’ is the standard hardy basket fuchsia and has performed in north-facing baskets for five consecutive years.

For sunny baskets, Recipe 1 (Classic Sun Trap) with Pelargonium ‘Mr Wren’ as the thriller, Petunia ‘Surfinia’ purple as the filler, and Lobelia ‘Sapphire’ as the trailing edge is the most reliable five-year combination I have tested. The cost is around £18 for a 35cm basket, with replacements only needed for failures rather than annual full replanting.

Frequently asked questions

How many plants fit in a 35cm hanging basket?

Seven to nine plants in a 35cm basket. One upright thriller in the centre, three or four fillers around it, three trailing spillers at the edge. Crowd slightly for instant impact; bedding plants compete fine for the 16-week summer life of the basket. Larger root systems like geraniums limit you to 7 plants total.

What is the best hanging basket recipe for full sun?

Recipe 1: zonal pelargonium plus trailing petunia plus blue lobelia. Pelargoniums and petunias both want full sun and tolerate heat to 30C without leaf wilt. Add a silver helichrysum spiller and the basket holds 96 days of flowering on a south wall in average UK conditions. Costs around £18 of plants for a 35cm basket.

How often should I water a summer hanging basket?

Daily from late June to mid-September; twice daily in a heatwave above 28C. South-facing baskets dry twice as fast as north-facing ones. Add a 500ml water reservoir bottle in the compost at planting to extend dry-day tolerance from 1 to 3 days. Water at the base, not over the leaves.

When should I plant up a hanging basket in the UK?

Late May in southern England (after the last frost on around 20 May); first week of June in the Midlands and north. Plant indoors or in a greenhouse two weeks earlier and harden off in a sheltered spot during the day. Frost on tender bedding kills the basket overnight; wait for stable nights above 8C.

What is the best liner for a hanging basket?

Coir or jute liner. Coir retains 22% more water than sphagnum moss and is sustainably sourced. Wire baskets with coir liners hold compost firmly and last 2 to 3 summers before the liner breaks down. Avoid plastic liners with no drainage; bedding rots within 4 weeks. Pre-soak the liner before planting.

Next step

Now that you have six tested basket recipes, scale up to year-round colour with our window box guide. Read our piece on the best window box plants for UK 4-season colour for the same thriller-filler-spiller framework adapted to a longer container life.