Hanging Baskets Have Become Irreplaceable
How Hanging Baskets Have Become Pretty Much Irreplaceable
Declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, continue to inspire esthetes to this day, thousands of years after the very last flower in them perished. It is impossible to say if this was the first use of terraces and baskets for raising and displaying plants, but it is certainly the most famous one.
Of course gardening has made a lot of progress since the days of Babylon, yet some ideas have stood the test of time. Hanging baskets are surely one of them. In our days they are made of different materials, come in a lot more shapes and sizes, but have never stopped being a current trend.
Most gardeners would agree that some plants look better when observed from above, others from an upward angle. There are numerous options for positioning the first kind and not that many for the second. Actually short from placing a pot on high place, where it is pretty possible that it will fall and brake, using a hanging basket is the only choice many people have.
Luckily, there is a vast variety of them being sold in gardening dedicated stores. For those who wish a more personalized item, there are tons of ideas and information of the DIY type. A single online search will return thousands of tips on how to make the most beautiful and durable baskets, what types of flowers to grow in them and how to add some exotic to the garden or veranda, by cleverly incorporating a few outdoor replica plants among the breathing ones.
Another thing this type of planters can be useful for is privacy. It might sound strange at first, but imagine what they would look like hanged next to each other with fully grown and free falling rivers of greenery. Not only will the plants keep the premises safe from sight, but will also provide the much needed shade in the summer heat. So it is actually like getting two birds with one stone. Or in this case a heavenly green retreat and salvation from the grueling temperatures.
Speaking of heat, because they have no contact with whatsoever with the ground and are constantly surrounded by the hot air, water will evaporate from the baskets a lot faster than it will from standard pots. That is why it is important to water them often or use pots with inbuilt reservoirs at the bottom.
A new trend in hanging containers that is worth taking a look at is upside down growing bags. They are a lot lighter in terms of construction and are quite a good alternative for smaller plants. A huge advantage of theirs is the fact that the soil is not exposed directly to the air, so the risk of catching weed seeds carried by the wind is reduced to zero.
Back to the hanging baskets: Even the corporate world has recognized them as being especially convenient for use in business premises, where quite often every square inch is crammed with desks and filing cabinets. It is obviously not a good idea to take up from this much needed space by placing flowers on top of it, so accommodating the indoor office plants in some baskets will do the trick.
However the real time for them to shine is when decorating open air events. Be it attached to poles or hanging in tents, they inspire creativity. Just imagine the colorful waterfalls of beautiful flowers, possibly combined with some lights to make the evening a truly magical experience.
Quite often, to prolong the life of the display and to avoid attracting bees, outdoor replica plants are used in the place of some of the living flowers. Yet, a talented designer can make this go completely unnoticed and every guest will remember being surrounded by nothing but breathtaking magnificence.
Whether it is for the home or office space, hanging planters have so much to offer. They add much needed color and freshness to any premises and can transform even the most unwelcoming rooms. When it comes to using them in a garden, they are, for lack of a better word, a blessing. Or space savers that successfully protect whatever is planted in them from most weeds, as well as cats, rodents and even some soil transmitted diseases.
Beant Bajwa is an enthusiastic writer who is great fan of nature and loves to write about indoor office plants and decorate her garden with hanging baskets.
