Best Hanging Baskets for Full Sun
Looking to add a colorful touch to your sunny porch or garden this spring or summer? A perfectly placed hanging basket filled with bountiful blooms could do the trick!
Full Sun Hanging Plants for Your Home
Not all hanging plants will be suitable for your porch. The right plant depends, in part, on the amount and intensity of sunlight received each day. (So if you’re in a shady spot, check out our blog on the best hanging baskets for shade!)
By selecting the right hanging plant and the right location, you can be sure of lasting color that spills out all season long. In this blog, we’re reviewing a few of our favorite full sun hanging plants that we recommend adding to your porch or yard! These hanging plants love full sun conditions and require at least 5 or more hours of direct sunlight each day.
1. Petunias
Petunias are a timeless garden favorite because they offer so many color choices and varieties. The Trailing and Grandiflora petunias are great options for hanging baskets, but you can also find varieties that work well in containers or as ground cover.
Petunias make this list because while they will grow in part sun they tend to bloom most prolifically in full sun. In full sun, it is important not to let the soil dry out when caring for these hanging plants outdoors. These plants like to be watered every day and sometimes twice a day in hotter months. Add fertilizer every two to three weeks for the best results.
Fairview Garden Center is regularly adding new varieties, so visit us this spring to find your perfect petunia!
2. Million Bells
Million Bells are a gorgeous mounding and trailing summer annual. This popular plant blooms mini-petunia shaped flowers that come in a wide spectrum of colors. These bright flowers will attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your front porch or garden.
Like the petunia, million bells enjoy full sun to part sun; however, they tend to bloom more prolifically in full sun, making them one of the best plants for hanging baskets in full sun. The soil should be kept moist, especially in the hot summer months. Simply allow the surface soil to dry between waterings to avoid over-watering.
We’re happy to help you find the right million bells for your porch during your visit to our garden center.
3. Bougainvillea
The bougainvillea is a popular evergreen, shrubby vine that blossoms into colorful flower bracts. This sub-tropical vine is a riot of purple and red color when in bloom. New cultivars are beginning to bloom in apricot, orange, white, and yellow.
This full sun hanging plant can be trained to stand alone as a shrub or cover walls and spill out of beautiful hanging baskets. It can grow from 10 to 20 feet in a single growing season, but here in the Triangle, it won’t reach quite these lengths.
Bougainvillea requires full sun. As a drought-tolerant plant, it actually performs best when its soil is left a little dry. Come browse this hardy plant and other plants at our garden center today!
4. Portulaca
Portulaca comes in many vibrant colors like reds and pinks for full sun areas. As you shop for portulaca, you may find that it is also called yubi, purslane, or moss rose.
This plant is ideal for those who may not have as much time this spring and summer to water and fertilize on a regular basis. Portulaca is the perfect full sun hanging plant because it is extremely heat and drought tolerant. You won’t have to worry about this one!
To see our wide selection of portulaca, visit our Raleigh garden center. And if you’re looking for more inspiration and gardening tips, check out our blog.
5. Dragon Wing Begonia
The begonia is known for being a true workhorse. At Fairview Garden Center we carry many types of begonias, but one of our favorite full sun varieties is the dragon wing begonia.
This highly popular plant is incredibly easy to grow. As a heat-tolerant plant, the dragon wing begonia is one of the best hanging baskets for full sun. The dragon wing begonia’s dark-colored flowers flower profusely all season long, blooming very quickly and growing from spring through frost.
6. Sunpatiens
Impatiens are no longer just for your grandma’s shady garden! There is a wide variety of gorgeous hybrid impatiens that are perfect for the sun, shade, and everywhere in between.
Sunpatiens are a new type of impatiens that is unlike other traditional varieties, as it thrives in hot and sunny conditions. Although sunpatiens do not have a trailing habit, they provide high impact blooms from spring through frost and are great paired with other trailing plants in mixed baskets. Consider sunpatiens when looking for full sun hanging plants that will add color and variety to your garden!
Visit Us At Fairview Garden Center
These are just a few of our Fairview favorite full sun hanging plants for spring and summer. Contact us today or stop by in-person to browse our greenhouses filled with beautiful blooms and pick your favorites from our many varieties. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff is here to help you pick the perfect full-sun basket for your space and lifestyle!
Page updated on July 19, 2022