What Plants Are Best For Hanging baskets and close to fish ponds

I want to plant up some hanging baskets to hang off my pergola which covers my 1,500-gallon pond. What are the best plants to use? I particularly want some that will shed minimum debris.

Answer: I would be very cautious about hanging baskets over my koi pool, not just from the debris point of view, but mainly from the fact that hanging baskets are usually fed and watered regularly to overflowing. After all, it's the only way of telling that the basket has been well watered when the water starts running out the bottom. This is liable to be nitrate rich and if it splashes into the pool it would be unneccesary strain on the pool environment.

If splashing drips are unlikely to be too much of a problem I would stick to foliage plant that have low nutrition requirements. Flowers are by nature ephemeral, and at some point will drop. So try small leaved variegated Ivies like Hedera helix 'Glacier' (white variegated) or Hedera helix 'Buttercup' (yellow leaves) and the yellow variegated Hedera helix 'Aureomarginata'. There is a new beautiful silvery grey leaved plant for sale this summer for hanging baskets that will trail down a metre or more called Dichondra 'Silver Falls'. Grasses too can be effective to add height to the basket.

Line the bottom third of inside of the basket liner with plastic. This will prevent as cascade of water emerging the instant you start watering the basket when it is in place. Then also water relatively sparingly.

If you 'seed' the compost when you are planting up with a slow release fertiliser like the pearly granules of 'Osmocote' this will ensure minimal nitrate leeching.