Hanging baskets

It doesn't seem like hanging baskets are as popular as they once were as houseplants.
I would enjoy hearing what you have in your hanging baskets and how many you have. do you have several different kinds of plants in each one?
I saw on one of Martha Stewart's programs where she had a system where you could lower the plants down by a pulley system to water. Anyone ever rig up anything like this?

They sell these pulley systems, that I saw called 'up-downs' (or maybe it was 'down-ups') in stores SEVERAL years ago.

I've no hanging plants yet 'cause mine are all still too small to plop into a hanger. I scaled them down in size for the move from WA to Ark this past June.

Also, we've lead-based paint under several coats of peal-off latex paint. I don't want to inhale that stuff while drilling big holes in the ceilings. And as bad as I am about hanging pictures, I'd have patchwork everywhere! ;-)

I figure I will have some boo boos when I drill holes. I just hope my plants will be distracting enough for people not to notice.
I haven't gotten fancy enough though for the pulley system although I think it might make it easier to care for the plants.

I have a little corner between where the kitchen meets the dining room. Some smart person put one of those hooks in the ceiling there, and it's the perfect place to hang my Marble Queen pothos (which, so far, I have managed not to kill!). I think hanging baskets add variety, and are a good place to put plants if you have pets or young kids. I'd like to add more, actually, especially above the sink in my kitchen.


Kelly

I saw one of those pulley things (it was made out of white plastic) yesterday at Lowe's. It was about $19 I think. I have a lot of hanging baskets but I don't have access the card reader that I need for my camera photos since we have moved. As soon as I find it I will take some photos and post them here.

JesseK

Hmmm....the pulley system is intriguing....but sounds too complicated for me!

On another forum a while back, someone posted a link where they were selling these 'tension poles' that go from ceiling to floor, with brackets initially meant for clothing storage and I bought a couple of those. I also have various brackets and hooks above the windows, and hang some small and lightweight plants right on the curtain rods.

I have hoyas, peperomias, epiphyllum, ceropegia, ferns, aeschynanthus, rhipsalis, senecio, xerosicyos, columnea, cissus, kalanchoe, ivy, orchids, begonia, philodendron, pothos, spider plant, epipremnum, pellionia, and tillandsias (I think that covers it!) in hanging baskets.

I've found a couple of plastic-lined baskets and have placed the pots of 3 or 4 (whatever will fit!) small plants (usually 4") all together, too.

The place where I got the tension mounted poles no longer sells them, but they were exactly like this:
http://www.shopgetorganized.com/Kitchen_Design/TENSION_MOUNTED_DRYING_POLE.html

and they work *fabulously* for hanging plants!!

lol lol lol I am a hanging basket NUT!!!! My house was built to accommodate my addiction. Wide window trim wasn't up but hours before I had them drilling holes for the hangers which protrude out 6,8 10 inches from the wood, depending upon the size of the basket. Wood ceiling beams for hanging larger baskets out from the wall, wrap around porches for hundreds of baskets.

I give baskets to visitors, repairmen, UPS, USPS, FedEx, just anyone who says they like them. I love my world and making people happy with my living gifts. At the begining of last summer I potted up at least 300 now I'm probably down to 80, maybe 100.

Please visit this link for lots of pictures, meanwhile here is a taste of what you will see..... www.puppygal.com/house.html

I'll try that again... Oops the system is uploading the dreaded "red x"

You'll have to got to the link to see the pictures. Sorry!!

Judy

I'll try one more......

Holey guacamole, Judy....and I thought I was bad!

How on God's green earth did you find room for all those porch plants indoors?!?!??!?!

You seem to have a nice 'flair' for organizing and arranging your plants, I've gotta say. Personally, I think all the arrangements look quite neat, inside and out!

Your house has a nice 'bright' interior, too. Our house is actually quite 'dark', with the exception of a few bright windows and one large south window. I use a lot of lights during the winter, and my sunporch (albeit a small one....no comparison to your nice wraparounds!) helps a lot during the spring and fall.

Any plant fanatic would be on Cloud 9 visiting your place!!

I just have easy to care for plants....

I've started with Brugs & Daturas but they may be too much trouble, i.e. insects. Anything that gets insects gets tossed in a hurry and I'm really picky about what I add to the collection for that reason. Last year at a plant swap I brought home some plants with aphids and was too sick to notice them until there was a good many. I tossed all but the brug the got on and I thought I was going to kill the poor thing getting rid of the aphids, but at that point I didn't care.

We wrapped part of the porch for the plants.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/468890/

Judy

lol @ RUK's reply on that thread...."You simply 'wrap the house'"!!

Sorry about your losses there, that's disheartening. Good chance that a lot of them will grow back from the root system, though, isn't there? It's happened for me with some plants.....even a Sansevieria that I left on a porch that was *well* below freezing one winter. I'd thought the plant was a total goner, but just decided, for the heck of it, to start watering it again in the spring, and it re-grew!

I'm curious about your ceilings in the house.....is that arrangement something you devised, or is there a name for it (the beams in square arrangements that you have plants hanging on)

edited to correct my typo!

This message was edited Feb 17, 2005 3:10 PM

My husband designed the ceiling and he's so picky about what he does that it took him forever to finish it. The ceilings are 9 ft so I took him to a very old house with a similar ceiling and ask that he try to get the same feel. He put up window trim around one window and I told him he had to take it down and put up wider boards... I thought he was going to kill me but now that it's finished he loves it. The floor is cherry, hand finished.... what a job.

We're building the house ourselves and aren't pushing it in the least. If we don't finish the house before we leave this world whoever gets it will have to do so. I have a tremendous amout of furniture stored but I'm getting to the point that I like living without it, more room for plants and less to dust. lol lol lol

Trying to laugh and enjoy life, I'm almost 60 and he's almost 70.

Judy

Holiday Cactus - If you have any and want to Swap

If you are interested in trading cuttings, please post on this thread what you have and what you want. Kinda lika a group trade/swap.

I would be glad for someone other than me to take over and run the swap

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/486024/

Judy

Judy, I love your home and I think it looks wonderful. It is so nice that your DH is building it not just for you but your plants too. He sounds like a really nice guy.

JesseK

Hey, this might be the perfect thread in which to ask this question--what is the best type of hardware for hanging baskets, and how do you install them? I tried this morning, and when I got it through the ceiling, I found nothing but air when the stud finder had said there was something! But I can't find studs in the wall above the window, and don't have a drill to insert the brackets where there isn't a stud. Help!

Kelly

Kelly,

When I hang anything from the ceiling I use those ceiling hooks that have the anchors with them. Go to the gardening section of Walmart or Lowe's or some place like that. You will find them there.

JesseK

Hi

Thanks Jesse, I did find the hooks... How do they hold up when you use the anchors? How much weight do they seem to be able to hold, any idea?

Kelly

Kelly, sometimes they are marked as to how many pounds they hold. But if you got them just for the ceiling to hang plants on, they should work fine. I have used them for years and never once had them fall. So you should be fine. And I had a very large philodendron hanging from one that I put up in the last house that I lived in and it held up fine. I just bought a couple of new ones to hang my lights from. I have used them before for that and they did fine as well. I hope this helps and if you have any more questions I would be glad to help.

JesseK

Jesse,

Thank you so much for all your help. I feel better now about using the anchors.

Kelly :)

I have a huge Christams Cactus Would be more than willing to share. Just let me know,

Hey Guys there is a Holiday Cactus cutting swap thread in Plant Trading. I started it and as soon as it warms up a little I'm going to start taking cuttings. Please view the pictures and see what we all can work out.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/486024/

Judy

Judy, your livingroom is geoooooooooorgous..... and then some. Thanks for sharing.

Nancy Lee

Happy_1 if you liked the above pictures you will love these
www.puppygal.com/house.html

Judy

Ahem, Ahem, I thought you were going to show me your house, not a National Historic Arboretum!! LOL

Nancy Lee

lol lol lol ...... I'm sick, sick, sick People come to visit and I think they are in shock, but I always talk them into taking a plant or two home with them. I'm a pusher!!

You're funny..................

Have you seen this thread: Judy's Jungle Goes Under Wraps

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/468890/

Judy,

Thanks for the link to the thread. I had seen some of your pictures but did not know how you had part of your porches inclosed. How wonderful to be able to enjoy your plants in the winter. I also did not know that Bigdaddy99 was your DH. How great it must be for your DH to share your love of plants. My DH is making progress though and even said something about wanting his own DG account. That made me so happy.

JesseK

Judy, Judy, Judy.......to paraphrase......

What a wonderful set up. Enjoy to the nth degree.

Nancy Lee

OK I know what DGH is...What's DH? I assume it's some kind of hubby designation.

Gonna take some pictures of what used to be my porch and what is now my sun room (done by hubby). Not so sure all of this is good for us...We encourage each others addiction!!! And I am a plant addict! (see my postings under "Bonsa") I have the sunroom where the porch used to be with supplementary lighting and I have a room in the cellar with lots of lights. I am working on a horticulural certificate from the local college to 'verify' my abilities. In addition, I work (volunteer) with 6-12 year old kids gardening once a week. It's a hoot! They have forced tulips, taken cuttings, started seeds. My propogation instructor would probably shudder to watch the roughness ofo the way these kids handle the plants but tyhey are learning and it's fun.

bseddon - DH is Dear Husband. What wonderful things you are doing, working with the children and working on getting a certification. We would love to see some picture.

I'm into houseplants especially in the winter months when you can't plant outside. I'm into plants of any kind. Houseplants are one of my fondest. It looks like a forest in my house. They get too big and I make more out of the cuttings. I have several of the same thing but several others too. Here in Rhode Island I will start some annual, perrenial, and vegetable seeds in the greenhouse in a few weeks in with a heater of course. The temperatures shouldn't drop so low every night by then. I'd say there won't be any snow, but this is New England and it has snowed in April. By the time the seeds come up most of my bulbs will be spent. I usually dig them up and put them in pots in the back yard so they can die off naturally and get the nutrients from the sun for next year. Then of course there's the vegetable garden. I will start the tomato, potato, cucumber, carrot, radish, and lettuce seeds in peat pots then put and put them in the ground at the end of May. Well I hope everybody is enjoying there plants too!

ordung - you sound so organized!!! (in little bitty letters "I'm not")

We would love to see pictures!! Here is one of my nursery. Poor things get care when I notice one is wilting, of course with brugs that's not all bad.

Judy

Okay,
I'll take some pictures of the houseplants, then some of the flats when they're planted and after they grow.