Porches
Hanging baskets and vines: how to hang artificial flowers on a porch
How long a hanging vine should be for your ceiling, why baskets look better in pairs and how to fill the basket kit.
5 min read
A porch looks planted when color starts above eye level. Hanging flowers do that, and they are also where real plants struggle most: a basket under a roof gets no rain, dries out in a day and needs a ladder to water. Faux hanging flowers skip all of it, but they still need the right length and the right hook to look like they belong.
Pick the length for your ceiling
Measure from the ceiling or the hook down to where you want the lowest bloom. On a standard 8-foot porch, you want to walk under a basket without ducking, so the flowers should end around head height or higher.
| What you hang | Length | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hanging petunias, 2 pack | 19.7 in | A porch hook under an 8-foot ceiling |
| Hanging bougainvillea, 2 pack | 22 in | A fence, a trellis or a hook by the door |
| Hanging flower vines, 4 pack | 26 in | Pairs either side of a door or a tall planter edge |
| Hanging petunia bouquets, 2 pack | 30 in | A tall post, a railing seen from the yard |
| Hanging basket kit | About 15.7 in across | Any standard plant hook, on its own 12-inch chain |
Hang in pairs
One basket in the middle of a porch looks like an afterthought. Two, one on each side of the door or at each end of a railing, look like a plan. The vines come in packs of two and four for that reason, and the four-pack covers a door and a pair of posts.
If your porch is long, repeat the pair every eight to ten feet rather than filling every hook. Space between baskets is part of the look.
Fill a basket from the kit
The hanging basket kit comes with everything: a rattan basket 12 by 12 by 6.3 inches, a 12-inch metal chain, a foam dome, a leaf liner and 12 flower bundles at 13.8 inches. Lay the liner in the basket, set the foam dome on top, and push the bundles in through the liner, the first ring around the edge and the rest toward the center.
Angle the outer ring down so it hides the rattan, and stand the center bundles upright. The finished ball is about 15.7 inches across, the size of a basket that has been growing since May.
Secure everything for wind
Faux flowers are light, which is good for your hooks and bad in a storm. Close the hook with pliers or a zip tie so a gust cannot lift the chain off. For vines, wrap the hanging loop once around the hook before letting it drop.
After a windy day, pull any stems that have flattened back into shape. Every stem has wire inside, so it holds wherever you bend it.
The full range for hooks and railings is on the hanging flowers shelf.
Not sure how many bundles your box needs? Write to windowbox@bassion.org and the people behind Bassion will answer.