HANG 'EM HIGH FILL BASKETS THE RIGHT WAY TO KEEP PLANTS ALIVE AND THRIVING.

Byline: JoAnn E.B. Yerem Correspondent

Instead of always looking down on your plants, try looking up - at a hanging basket. Hanging baskets can be a beautiful addition to your outdoor living space. They can add texture and interest where there was none - on an empty wall or a simple patio. Some gardeners hang baskets from trees in the yard.

``I think there is tremendous appeal to hanging baskets. You put them on a pergola or patio cover. Generally, these areas are very ordinary, and there's not too much decoration. A hanging basket can be very interesting,'' said Jim Starkweather of the Home Depot in North Hollywood.

While most appreciate the look of a hanging basket, more than a few novice gardeners are intimidated by the idea of creating and maintaining one.

``What they do is buy those plants in the plastic pots and hang them up - and they die. Plastic doesn't retain moisture. It does a nice job of heating up the plant, and with any luck you will cook it,'' Starkweather said.

Instead of purchasing the plastic hanging pot, Starkweather recommends a basket with an open-wire frame. It allows you to line it with something more plant-friendly than plastic. The frame, hanger and chain can be simple or decorative, depending on your taste and needs.

Line your basket with moss or coconut husk lining. Starkweather recommends the coconut husk lining because it is easier to maintain and lasts longer than the moss.

Zahava Zirinsky, president of the Burbank-Valley Garden Club (www.gardencentral.org/bvgc), agrees.

``The coconut husk looks nicer on the outside, and it's more ecologically friendly,'' she said. The coconut husk also maintains moisture longer than moss.

The Burbank-Valley Garden Club's recent workshop on hanging baskets garnered a large turnout and got a number of local gardeners started on hanging baskets.

``The baskets turned out wonderful,'' said Zirinsky. ``I just talked to one of the ladies who participated in the workshop, and she told me, 'Do you know what you have started? I went and bought five more baskets.' ''

In his new book ``Container Gardens,'' garden designer P. Allen Smith gives step-by-step instructions for hanging baskets.

Because most baskets have a rounded bottom, Smith suggests using a bucket or another container to ``hold'' your basket while you fill it with soil and plants.

Smith urges gardeners to check their potting soil ingredients for water-retentive polymers or slow-release fertilizer. If needed, mix both into the soil before using.

Zirinsky mixes polymers into her soil before planting to help maintain moisture. ``You don't want the basket to dry out,'' she said.

Now it's time to fill your basket with plants.

``When you are ready to fill a basket, you have to know two things: whether it is in shade, semi-shade or full sun, and what plants does the nursery have in stock now. You take what they have now,'' Zirinsky said.

She suggests picking three plants to fill around one major plant to give the basket some height and dimension.

For a hot-weather plant, try petunias. They will trail nicely from a hanging basket, and they can be drought-resistant.

Starkweather likes portulaca. ``It takes full sun. It usually comes in a six-pack with multiple colors. It is very bright, almost fluorescent. They make a great basket because you can't kill them. They will survive.''

He recommended pairing portulaca with succulents like String of Pearls to make a very drought-resistant basket.

Whatever you plant in your hanging basket, remember to check moisture levels frequently (daily in the heat of the summer) and to fertilize according to your plant choices.

Create a summer basket

Create this colorful hanging basket with sun-loving blooms that will last all summer:

Materials

16-inch hanging basket

Potting soil

'Snowstorm' bacopa

Petunias

'Sunsatia Peach' nemesia 

Lobelia 

What to plant now

Here are plants recommended by local experts to use in a hanging basket now:

--Fuchsias - Place in the shade with frequent watering.

--Petunias - Great color, will trail well from a basket and don't require as much water as fuchsias.

--Portulaca - Very drought resistant and pair nicely with succulents.

--Succulents - Perfect for summer heat and a neglectful waterer. String of Pearls is especially good for a trailing element.

--Verbena - Trails well and are drought resistant.

- J.Y.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Hanging flower baskets

Create your own

(2 -- color) The basket above contains blue salvia, Marguerite daisies, petunias, Balcolm ivy geraniums and bacopa.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) Fill the basket halfway with potting soil. If the ingredients don't include water-retention polymers or slow-release fertilizer, mix in both according to package directions.

(4 -- color) Starting with the bacopa, remove plants from plastic containers by gently tapping the pots againts the edge of a hard surface. Pull apart the tangle of roots.

(5 -- color) Plant the bacopa along the rim of the basket. The top of the root ball should be about an inch below the basket's rim. Add soil around the edges, gently patting it into place.

(6 -- color) Place the petunias behind the bacopa, followed by the nemesia, which should be in the center of the basket. Use lobelia to fill in any gaps along the basket's rim.

(7 -- color) Place in a sunny spot and water thoroughly at least three times a week during cool weather and daily during warmer weather.

Box:

(1) Create a summer basket (see text)

(2) What to plant now (see text)