The summer sun bathes your garden like a spotlight, and your hanging baskets deserve to steal the show. You'll want plants that can handle the heat while creating a stunning cascade of colors and textures. Whether you're looking to attract butterflies, create dramatic foliage, or maintain a low-maintenance display, these seven sun-loving varieties will transform your outdoor space into a natural theater of blooms that'll last from spring through fall.
Cascading Wave Petunias: A Riot of Summer Color
Cascading Wave Petunias transform ordinary hanging baskets into spectacular fountains of color that bloom continuously from spring through fall.
These vigorous spreaders create dramatic waterfall effects with their self-cleaning flowers, available in a stunning array of purple, pink, white, and bi-color varieties that can trail up to 4 feet long.
Their exceptional heat and drought tolerance makes them perfect performers for sunny locations, requiring minimal maintenance while delivering maximum impact.
Pro Tip: Plant Wave Petunias higher in the basket than other flowers to maximize their cascading potential, and pinch back the tips early in the season to encourage fuller, more branched growth patterns.
Feed every two weeks with bloom-boosting fertilizer to maintain continuous flowering throughout the season.
Million Bells (Calibrachoa): Tiny Blooms, Big Impact
Million Bells, with their miniature petunia-like flowers, create cascading waves of non-stop color from spring through fall.
These prolific bloomers come in a vibrant rainbow of hues, from deep purples and hot pinks to sunny yellows and crisp whites, making them perfect for adding dramatic trailing effects to sun-drenched hanging baskets.
Their self-cleaning nature means no deadheading is required, allowing you to enjoy their abundant blooms with minimal maintenance.
Pro Tip: Plant Million Bells near the basket's edge in groups of three to create fuller, more balanced cascades.
For the most impressive display, mix varieties of different colors that complement each other, such as purple with yellow or pink with white.
Trailing Lantana: Heat-Loving Butterfly Magnet
Trailing Lantana is a sun-loving superstar that creates cascading waves of vibrant, multi-colored blooms from spring through fall.
This heat-tolerant beauty produces clusters of small, trumpet-shaped flowers in combinations of yellow, orange, pink, and purple, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds while providing endless color for your hanging baskets.
Its vigorous trailing habit and drought-resistant nature make it perfect for hot, sunny locations where other plants might struggle.
Pro Tip: Pinch back new growth tips early in the season to encourage fuller, bushier plants with more abundant blooms.
For the most dramatic color display, choose varieties like 'Sunny Side Up' or 'Spreading Sunset' that feature flowers that change colors as they mature.
Moss Rose (Portulaca): Drought-Resistant Beauty
Moss Rose (Portulaca) brings a vibrant splash of color to hanging baskets with its low-growing, succulent-like foliage and abundant blooms in hot pink, yellow, orange, and white.
This heat-loving annual thrives in intense sunlight and sandy soil, creating cascading waves of color that last from early summer until frost, while requiring minimal maintenance and water.
Pro Tip: Plant Moss Rose in a container with exceptional drainage and mix some sand into your potting soil to prevent root rot.
Allow the soil to dry completely between waterings for the most prolific blooms.
Trailing Verbena: Long-Lasting Ground Coverage
Trailing Verbena bursts with clusters of delicate blooms in vibrant purples, pinks, and whites, creating a stunning cascade of color in sunny hanging baskets.
This heat-tolerant beauty flowers continuously from spring through fall, forming a dense mat of foliage that spills gracefully over basket edges, reaching lengths of up to 3 feet.
Its drought-resistant nature and self-cleaning blooms make it an exceptional low-maintenance choice for sun-drenched locations.
Pro Tip: Pinch back the stems by about one-third in midsummer to encourage bushier growth and prevent the plant from becoming leggy, resulting in a fuller, more abundant display of flowers throughout the season.
Sweet Potato Vine: Dramatic Foliage Display
Sweet potato vine transforms ordinary hanging baskets into cascading curtains of dramatic foliage with its heart-shaped leaves and trailing habit.
Available in vibrant lime green, deep purple, or bronze varieties, this vigorous grower creates stunning visual impact as it spills gracefully over basket edges, reaching lengths of up to 6 feet in ideal conditions.
Pro Tip: Pinch back the growing tips every few weeks to encourage fuller growth and prevent the vines from becoming too leggy.
For the most striking display, combine contrasting leaf colors, like pairing lime green 'Marguerite' with deep purple 'Blackie' varieties in the same basket.
Trailing Lobelia: Cool Blue Cascades
Trailing Lobelia transforms hanging baskets into cascading fountains of delicate blue flowers that dance in the summer breeze.
These dainty annual bloomers create stunning waterfall effects with their profusion of tiny, fan-shaped blossoms in shades ranging from deep cobalt to soft sky blue, making them perfect for adding cool, invigorating color to sun-drenched spaces.
Pro Tip: For the fullest, most dramatic cascades, plant lobelia plugs around the entire edge of your basket, spacing them 2-3 inches apart.
Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged to encourage continuous blooming throughout the season.
