Hanging houseplants

Flower & Garden Magazine, Feb-March, 1995 by Margaret Haapoja

Hanging Plants Add An interesting dimension to interior decoration, drawing attention to fine architectural details and masking unattractive ones. Just as gardeners festoon porch eaves outdoors with baskets of bright impatiens or petunias in summer, the rooms inside our houses can be adorned with hanging plants year round. However, gardening in hanging pots demands extra care in plant selection, choice of container and culture.

One of my favorite restaurants has a gardenlike solarium that is filled with hanging baskets of Boston ferns. Often several perfect specimens of the same plant - whether it be ferns, pothos, spider plants or Swedish ivy - can be more effective than a random assortment. Hanging plants have the added advantage of taking up no floor space. Lush vines cascading from hanging pots can screen a window with a less-than-lovely view or help divide living space in a large room.

The best plants for hanging containers are compact, dense and branching. Plants that spill over the rim of their containers with drooping foliage or trailing stems are especially effective. The plants should not have thick, woody stems or the tendency to shoot up vertically. Remember that plants are easiest to train when they are young, so select small starter plants.

To give hanging containers a more luxurious appearance, combine plants with contrasting growth habits in the same basket. For example, a plant with a mounded habit such as piggyback plant can be ringed by a trailing fringe of English ivy. Two or three plants will balance out a 6-inch basket; three or four plants will fill an 8-inch pot.

Appearance is not the most important criterion in selecting a pot for your hanging plants. After all, the cascading foliage should soon camouflage the container. Plastic baskets retain soil moisture better than clay pots and have the added advantage of being lighter in weight. All hanging containers need a bottom hole for drainage; an attached drip pan facilitates watering. Self-watering pots that can go for two to four weeks between waterings are also available.

Hangers can be as varied as the plants they suspend. Many of my hanging plants are cradled in macrame hangers of my own creation. Some are jute and some are colored nylon cord, but all are trimmed with wooden beads that harmonize with green foliage and complement my rustic decor. Utilitarian wire hangers are standard on many plastic baskets. Most can be removed to make repotting easier.

All hanging plants must be firmly anchored. Fasten hooks securely into ceiling joists. Hooks that swivel allow the gardener to turn hanging plants at each watering, exposing all sides of the plants to light. For hard-to-reach locations such as stairwells and skylights, pulleys to lower and raise plants are convenient.

Proper maintenance is the key to healthy, lush houseplants. Observe the response of your plants in different windows until you find the best light exposure for each one. Asparagus ferns thrive in a southwest window, especially during the winter months, while Boston ferns prefer a northern exposure. Grape ivy and pothos are more adaptable, tolerating varying light levels.

Provide hanging plants with a lightweight, well-drained potting medium. Be sure to keep the potting soil an inch or so below the pot rim to prevent spills from watering. Get into the habit of touching the soil to test for moisture, and water less in winter when the plants are resting. In spring, summer and early fall, feed hanging plants with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer, following package directions.

Pruning is the secret to long life for hanging plants. Selective trimming of stems keeps plants shapely and compact. Sometimes a severe "haircut" is called for to rejuvenate an overgrown plant. Routine maintenance includes removing any yellow leaves and snipping out old stems.

Many hanging houseplants benefit from a vacation outdoors in summer. Be sure to hang the containers under an overhang or covered porch so they don't become waterlogged. Hang them out of direct sunlight in a spot that is protected from strong winds. Remember to inspect houseplants for pests before welcoming them back indoors in fall.

Although hanging plants can require a bit more care, they more than compensate by adorning our homes with their gracefully trailing foliage.

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Hoya lacunosa, its flowers more subtle than those of other wax plants, twines gracefully from its pendant perch in a bright window.