Hanging Baskets are a very popular way to display flowers and plants in order to brighten up homes and gardens as well as commercial premises such as pubs, hotels, restaurants and public buildings.
There are many different types of hanging baskets with new designs coming out each year with different themes such as Victorian, Blacksmith and Georgian. However, there are also a number of different ways to hang them over and above the standard bracket which you can see outside many buildings. These different approaches can be used to add variety to your displays as well as showing baskets in places where a normal bracket may not be practical or desirable.
This guide provides 5 different ways to hang a hanging basket.
- Bracket
The most popular approach is to use a special bracket. These come in a variety of sizes and style – typically for up to 14 inch or up to 18 inch baskets. Cheaper brackets tend to be coated in plastic to prevent corrosion with colours such as black, white or green. Higher quality brackets will be in wrought iron or steel finished with a durable coloured coating. The variety of designs is increasing each year and are now being paired with hanging basket frames to create a consistent look. It is essential that the bracket is strong enough to hold the weight of a fully watered hanging basket which can easily weigh up to 10Kgs for a 16 inch basket. Most brackets have labels which will clearly show the maximum weight they can hold. - Wall Hook
A nice alternative to a fixed hanging bracket is a wall hook. These are made from a single piece of metal – typically wrought iron – and shaped to hook the end of hanging basket chain at one end and with pre-drilled holes at the other. The wall hooks are fixed directly to the wall and the basket needs to hang down beneath it. As a result, they are ideal for fixing to the eaves of the roof. - Fence Post Clip
Special clips have now been developed which can clip over the end of a fence post or over a standard width wall. The benefit of these is that they do not need to be drilled at all and can be easily repositioned for sunlight or removed during the winter months. The fence post clips hold the basket away from the wall so can be positioned in most locations. - Tree Hook or S Hook
The tree hook is a single piece of metal shaped into an ‘s’. This hook can then be easily hung over a tree, pole or other support. Nurserymen tend to use these when growing long lines of hanging baskets in professional greenhouses. Tree hooks are a novel alternative to hanging a basket from a wall using a bracket. - Border Hook
The border hook is a free-standing pole with a hook at the top. These can be positioned to stand in the middle of a garden, a courtyard or even in a border. The fact they are free-standing means they can be moved easily and do not need to be fixed to anything. This approach can be used with good effect for special events or venues where you can create a dramatic but temporary display using multiple border hooks.
There are many different approaches which can create different effects in different locations. Choose which of these is best for you!