Indoor Hanging Baskets – A group of attractive indoor plants in a hanging basket will indeed provide a beautiful display, but do not rush into hanging a container from a hook in the ceiling or a bracket on the wall until you have carefully studied the difficulties.
The air will be warmer and drier than at floor or windowsill level. The height of the display usually makes watering difficult, and when water is applied too liberally the basket may drip on to the floor.
You must choose a container which is suitable for indoors. The standard wire basket lined with sphagnum moss is ideal for outdoors, but in the home you will have the problem of water dripping on to the floor. You can line the basket with polythene sheeting, but waterlogging may then be a problem. The best answer is to put the pots of indoor plants in a large waterproof container which bears the holding wires, chains or cords. The space between the pots and the hanging container should be filled with moist peat. A variation is a plastic hanging pot with a built-in drip tray. Always use a peat-based potting compost rather than a soil one – excess weight can be a problem.
To make watering and misting an easier task place the display at eye level or if you must suspend it over head-high then have a pulley arrangement instead of an ordinary hook. You can buy a pump action watering can if the display cannot be lowered. Ensure that the hook is securely fixed to a ceiling joist or the bracket is firmly attached to the wall, and finally make sure that your choice of plants is suited to the light available – flowering plants and variegated foliage house plants will need a spot near a window.
Good indoor hanging basket plants are: asparagus, begonia, hoya, fern, episcia, hedera, zebrina, tradescantia, chlorophytum and lobelia.
