One Reason Why Your Hanging Basket Flowers Aren't Thriving

Imagine this: you are shopping in a gardening center and you bring home flower hanging baskets that are looking full and beautiful. But once you get them home, the buds dry up and fall away before they even get the chance to bloom. One of the most common causes for this sudden bud drop is environmental shock. Hanging basket flower combos often include sensitive ornamentals like petunias or verbenas. These plants react poorly to sudden changes in conditions, which causes the bud drop as a defense mechanism to conserve energy. Nursery or gardening center conditions are often very different from home conditions. They are optimized perfectly to help the flowers thrive. Suddenly, your new plant gets thrown into completely different conditions.

So, if you move plants without acclimation, they may undergo environmental shock. Shock-related stress in plants is usually also accompanied by stunted growth, yellowing of leaves, and leaf drop. Environmental factors that might send hanging basket plants into shock include abrupt changes in ambient temperature, humidity, or lighting conditions. Even seemingly minor decisions, such as placing the plant near a heating duct or air vent, might stop your flowers from thriving.

Patience is the key here — most of the time, hanging basket flowers will recover within a few days or weeks, and you will see new growth. Although in some cases, the plants might need some help. Start by mimicking the conditions of the nursery. This includes strategic placement. You want to make sure that you put your newly purchased hanging basket in a stable spot that is away from drafts, which affect the temperature and dry out the soil quickly. 

A location that could work well is a sheltered porch or an indoor site with consistent temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The varieties of plants in your hanging basket may prefer a slightly different temperature range, so base your decision on their ideal growing conditions. Direct outdoor sunlight can also put the new flowers under stress, especially if they were in a sheltered location at the nursery. So, find a spot that receives bright but indirect light for the first few days. Then, choose a permanent spot with the type and amount of lighting the specific plants need to thrive. Sensitive flower baskets will also need extra protection from cold, especially during a frosty night. You can protect them by bringing them in at night or covering them with frost fabric.

Humidity shift is another challenge when bringing new flower hanging baskets home. This is especially true if you put them in front of vents, open doors, HVAC outlets, or fans that cause rapid drying. You can raise the humidity by placing the baskets in groups or temporarily placing a humidifier near the sensitive varieties. Also, don't forget to keep an eye out for pests that will wreak havoc on your houseplants to avoid secondary stresses that cause bud loss.