In addition to flowering plants, you can easily plant edibles in hanging baskets. When I lived in San Diego, I planted a basket, hung just outside the kitchen door, with lettuce and cherry tomatoes. It took up minimum space and we had salad fixings all summer. Herbs will also create an attractive yet useful basket. Combine some rosemary, mint, thyme and hyssop with violas for a striking display.
Planting
If you’re using sphagnum moss in a wire basket, soak it first in a bucket of water. Then push it through the basket from the inside, making the moss lining about one inch thick and extending it one inch above the rim of the basket. Poke planting holes in the moss or cut slits in the fiber liner and push the plant roots through the hole from the outside, gently pulling them from the inside. Fill the lowest tier of the basket with plants and then add some potting mixture to cover their roots completely. Continue planting in tiers, staggering the plants, until you reach the top of the basket. Plant the top opening last; fill in all the empty spaces with potting mix and water gently but thoroughly.
In a solid sided hanging container, plant the tallest plants in the middle, flanked by slightly shorter ones and place low, trailing plants near the edge so they can spill lushly over the sides.
Care
Hanging containers will generally need to be watered frequently, even twice a day, in hot, dry weather. Add a layer of mulch to the surface of the basket to help retain moisture. Water early in the morning or in the evening. If the basket is lightweight enough, you can take it down and submerge it in a pail of water up to its rim until the soil is thoroughly wet.
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