If you want to fill open air with a floating garden, try planting some hanging baskets. Louis Bauer, of Wave Hill, a public garden in New York City, prefers to use wire baskets found at flea markets and antiques shops as hanging baskets. Not only are they attractive and long lasting; they're less obtrusive than plastic baskets, and they blend well with the natural environment.

Louis likes to use one type of plant for each basket at Wave Hill, where they plant on a grand scale. But for Martha's porch in Westport, he uses a variety of complementary blooms and foliage, such as Petunia 'Purple Pirouette' and 'Mirage Blue'; Verbena 'Tapien Blue'; and yellow sweet potato vine (Ipomea 'Marguerite'). Use a mixture of blooming plants and foliage, and coordinate the baskets so that they'll complement one another.

Tools and Materials

• Scissors
• Burlap
• Papier mache liner
• Wire basket
• Staple
• Soilless mixture (8 parts peat moss, 2 parts perlite)
• Osmocote
• Pliers
• Wire hangers

Hanging Basket How-To
1. Cut a square of burlap 1 1/2 inches longer on all sides than the papier mache liner. Center liner on burlap; staple straight sides of burlap to the inside of the liner. Pull the excess points of fabric over the rim of the liner, and staple. Place the liner inside the basket.

2. Fill the basket three-quarters full with soilless mix. Place plants level with the basket's rim, fill in gaps with mix, and tamp down on soil. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of Osmocote, and water thoroughly.

3. Using pliers, attach wire hangers securely to the basket's rim.

Resources
Learn more about Wave Hill. Find baskets at Kinsman Company Inc.