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Find out How to make your own Hanging Baskets (Without Spending a TON) so you don't pay full price but still have beautiful plants!
How to make your own Hanging Baskets (on a budget!)
As I shared recently, I'm a sucker for a beautiful hanging basket. The problem is, they get expensive.Â
And other than one year when one of my favorite local nurseries had a Groupon available, my sweet penny-pinchin'-hubby just isn't going to shell out $45 for a single basket. (We have two big hanging baskets on our deck alone, so just those two would cost $90 ~ eek!)
 
To figure out the math on making your own DIY hanging basket, expect to spend anywhere from $35-$45 depending on the size of the pot, the nursery that you're shopping at, and the type of plants included.
After doing the math last weekend, here's what we came up with:
- 5 annual plants per pot: $3.5 x 5 = $17.50
- potting mix = $4.99/7 = $2.48 per pot (assuming you can reuse some dirt from past years or even from your garden to amend the soil rather than having to purchase all new dirt)
- clay pot = free if you can reuse one (if not a new one will cost about $3)
Total = $20 – $25 per pot, compared to $45 at your nursery. It's a little more work, but if you make 3 in an hour, you just made $60 per hour! (If you can find beautiful baskets for close to $25 though, snatch them right up because they are a steal!)
Friendly PSA: if you will not keep your happy planters watered, you will not save a penny by buying something that's going to die way too soon. So if you know in your heart of hearts that you won't make a habit of walking out to your plants to water each day, skip throwing away money on plants completely. But if you can add it to your to do list each morning right behind your cup of coffee, your plants will be just gorgeous all summer long!Â
While I'm not anywhere near figuring out just how to make a perfect hanging basket (as evidenced by a few baskets on our front porch that aren't looking too hot right now. . . ) the ones we made out back this year are doing so well, and I'm convinced you can do this too. Â Here's what we did . . .
(Here's one of the baskets we found at Bennett's that was just beautiful, but with a $45 price tag ~ goodness!)
Find a great nursery that knows what they're talking about.
When we lived in the North Alabama area, we liked Reseda's and Bennett's, because the workers all love plants, and are helpful with novice gardeners like us.
If by any chance you're in the Columbus, Ohio area, we like Miller's or Oakland Nurseries.
Once you've found a hanging basket you like, ask exactly which flowers are in it.
Even though I like to think I know a thing or two about flowers, I really don't know much, and most folks who work at better nurseries have a ton of plant knowledge. A good nursery will help you find matching plants in smaller pots so you can do it yourself.
Buy those plants!
Because the nursery is starting their hanging baskets so early in the season, the baskets probably don't need quite as many plants as you may need if you're starting later. (Although, you don't want too many plants or they won't have enough room to do well!) We used five plants (there are actually ten shown below because we made two baskets.) The basket we liked included the yellow in the middle for height, and four more trailing flowers around the edges of the basket to come down once they grow.
Don't forget the containers.
The containers for DIY hanging baskets can get expensive, so we re-used wire baskets from previous years, and replaced them with new coco fiber. (Ours are similar to these found on Amazon.) Â The coco fiber gets pretty pricey too, so if you can get it to last two seasons, you'll definitely save some money ~ I noticed these on Amazon are almost half what we paid at the nursery . . . I'll do better next year!
Start planting.
We used Miracle Gro Potting Soil. . .
And Soil Moist (this stuff is like the little crystals that you find in ~ it helps keep the soil moist especially in the heat of summer, but you'll still need a lot of water!)  We've had this container for 8 years, so even though it cost us $10 initially to purchase, it's been well worth it!
 
Figure out your plant structure for your DIY hanging basket
Plant your tallest plant in the middle, and plants that you want to spill over the edges around it.
Then, water faithfully and wait 3 weeks . . . or better yet, six weeks. (here's ours after just three weeks ~ I was amazed!)
My husband and I are guessing that we spent about $20 per hanging basket by the time you figure in the cost of the dirt, plants, and new coco fiber every few years. Â While they're not the most penny pinched deal ever, Â it's something we love and completely worth splurging on because we enjoy them so much!
You can also check out a peek of my hubby's (brilliant!) watering system over here ~ one of these days I'll put together a post of how he designed it but the pictures might help.
I just went to the nursery last weekend and picked up a few more items to plant.
Here's how to use annuals for a container garden:
Start with a few simple flowers . . .
I chose a superbena geranium, a few supertunias, and a superbell as well as some licorice and bacopa for my planters this year. Everything I picked is a trailing plant except the geraniums, because I love trailers in my pots.Â
I reused a pot from last year . . .
Added some Moisture Plus Potting Mix
And amended the soil using the leftovers from last year's pot + the potting soil to give my planter a good start.
Then I placed the plants where I wanted them to go . . . the licorice went in first (this one is so pretty as it trails!)
Then a supertunia,
And the geranium.
Once I chose where the plants were going I removed them from each pot (putting the geranium in the center to give it height),
and made sure to loosen the roots a bit so that they wouldn't weave around themselves, but instead would grow deeper in the pot.
Note ~ this is especially important with plants that have been in small cell packs for awhile and beginning to get leggy. Be sure to loosen up those roots a bit to see successful growth!
In a few weeks this pot will match or beat the one that I bought at the nursery, and I spent about half the cost (saving me a few hundred dollars and such a simple way to have beautiful containers at home!)
One other smart tip to frugally create container gardens is to re-use plants each year, which works great especially in warmer climates (but we've been able to keep our vinca growing strong even here in Ohio!)
Do you have any tips for how to make your own hanging baskets? I'd love to hear them . . . I've been so happy with these baskets this year, and am always looking for new ideas!
thank you for posting this!! I love planting!!
You’re so very welcome Melissa! 🙂
I use cheap coffee filters in my pots to contain the soil!! Works well and cheap! Be sure to add the coffee grounds too!
So smart! I love it!
Every time we arrived at our local nurser, Miller Farms, we told them we were determined to spend every last cent from our stimulus money there. Haha! We are redoing our backyard spur of the moment! We put pavers between our patio and the chicken yard gate with new seeded lawn. DH bought another greenhouse in the form of a kit from Home Depot. We are going to have so many more tomatoes this year (and hot peppers). So now we have a hoop greenhouse and our smaller one that is fiberglass from a company called Solar Gems. We bought one at Costco during a roadshow and we got the demo one. The salesperson delivered it to our house on the way home to Tacoma, Wa! He threw in the treat accessories. I do several hanging baskets each year and this year I purchased 8 more lined baskets for only $4.99 at our local Grocery Outlet. I was able to get mine planted and let my daughter use them to dress up her house that they put on the market (they are moving to Texas wahhhh). California real estate is nuts! Anyway Proven Winners is a great brand. I wintered over my hanging baskets from last year in our greenhouse. I take care of love my flowers and DH takes care of the vegetables. I do Miracle grow, granular mixed with water every Sunday.
I bought my hanging baskets and coco fiber at the dollar store for a total of $4.00.. the plants i got a lowes and were expensive probably $40.00. The way i plant my baskets is called the thriller, Chiller and Spiller the Thriller is the tall plant you put in the middle the chiller is the plants that go around that that just kind of sit there and look pretty and the Spiller are the ones that will spill over the side and grow down I stuck with variations of my favorite color which are purple so somewhere magenta and summer purple and somewhere lavender and I used a variety of sizes and I just love the way they turned out. oh, and I water every single day no matter what if it rains I water if it snows I water if it’s hot I water I water water water every day!
I have also bought my baskets from the Boy Scouts for 9.98 and then taken them apart to build the big pretty ones, just a thought if you buy the ones in plastic at Walmart and seperate they have many of those long hanging flowers type
Love that idea Vicki – that's exactly what's in those soil moist crystals so it definitely would work! 🙂
We must live near you as I recognize the stores you mentioned. We love those stores but as you said flowers are expensive! I have been planting my 10 hanging baskets along with multiple huge pots for several years. I normally buy my plants from Lowe’s, Miller’s and Meijers but this year we went to a flower auction in Ohio’s Amish Country. It was so fun!!!!!! I got a flat of wave petunias for $6…I believe it was 18 plants. They had hanging baskets for reasonable prices also. I plan to go to the flower/plant every spring.
I love that Carrie! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
On Pinterest I saw an idea where you take a small disposable diaper and stick it under the soil. It holds in the moisture.
Have you ever tried burlap instead of the fiber? I saw that idea on Pinterest and didn't know if it worked!?
I just asked my husband (who’s the smart gardener around here) and we both think it would work (we’re going to try it because that makes so much sense!) Last summer he also tried one where he bought a bag of peat moss and wet it and clumped it together and filled a basket with that to create a basket. He used fishing line to make the outline of the basket (because the wire on the basket was too spread out), and then filled it that way. It was a bit of work, but was super inexpensive!
However, we’re going to try out the burlap idea because that’s so clever – if we get it to work I’ll be sure to let you know!
thanks for the ideas I need to put some plants on my patio have a great day
Please, please, please put together a post on the watering system. I've been trying to get my garden going the last two years with limited success. Most of my problem being water issues. I would love to see how the drippers work, I think that is exactly what I need! Thanks for all you do.
I promise I will as soon as we move Shawn – we’ll have to install a new one so I can make sure to give all the right information! It was TOTALLY worth it for us ~ but it may be June before I get it together. (I’ll ask my husband if he thinks he can put anything together before then, but I don’t know if we’ll have the pictures to make it make sense… maybe he can write it down though somehow – I’ll see what he says!)
I was able to do mine last year fairly cheap. I bought the baskets from the Dollar Tree. Miracle Grow potting soil had a coupon so I bought that and Walmart had the plants on sale for $0.88. They worked out nicely we just had to be diligent about watering.
Wow! I am trying to learn or find out how to make hanging flower baskets on a very tight income now. I miss having them as they really do brighten my days. I just can’t afford to purchase at the prices they charge even though I’m sure they are well worth it. Looking for ideas?
I thought about doing that Mary! The silk ones do okay too outside . I might still do that if my ivy doesn't take! LOL
do like wise just put nice ,Plastic ones ,don't have to water and care for them lol, and they look good just don't smell good lol
It looks beautiful! $45 for a hanging basket! Yikes! I just wanted a couple of ferns for the patio for my hanging basket and didn't want to spend $10 each for them. I looked for potted ivy and even the little one was $5. This was at Wally world too. So I just went and cut some ivy at my mom's and put it in water to root. I have had good luck with ivy in the past, hope so this time too. I got a couple of plants from my boys on Mother's day, so those will be sitting on the patio.
It’s crazy to me that those baskets are so expensive! I love ferns too, and Reseda carries HUGE ones (seriously bigger than my children!) for $15 so we splurge on those but I keep saying one of these days I’m going to try to keep them over the winter in our garage – just need my hubby to build me a greenhouse!
Love that your boys gave you plants for Mother’s Day … so much fun! The ivy should be beautiful – hope it does well! 🙂