4 Herbs to Grow in Sunny Hanging Baskets

By
Amy Jeanroy
Amy Jeanroy

Amy Jeanroy is a master gardener and farm homesteader who has operated a greenhouse business since 1999. She served as the herbal gardening expert for The Spruce for eight years. Using her expertise in herbalism, she makes and sells herbal soaps, tinctures, salves, teas, and recipes at farmers' markets in Maine. She has also authored three books on canning and fermenting foods.

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Updated on 06/23/22
Reviewed by
Debra LaGattuta
Debra LaGattuta
Reviewed by Debra LaGattuta
Debra LaGattuta is a gardening expert with three decades of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a Master Gardener and lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.
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Fact checked by
Nandini Balial
Fact checked by Nandini Balial
Nandini Balial is a writer and copy editor who specializes in lifestyle, food, mental health, immigration, film/TV, literature, politics, and feminism. She has worked in a variety of fields, including television, film, book-selling, and publishing; she also spent over two years as a TaskRabbit maid, housekeeper, and personal assistant.
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mint in a hanging basket

Automidori / Getty Images 

A great way to grow herbs is by planting them in hanging baskets that can bask in a full sun location. Your herb baskets can be hung in almost any sunny location: from an arbor, shepherd's hook, or pergola, near a sunny a deck or patio, or placed outside a kitchen window where harvesting is as easy as opening the window and snipping. 

Planting a basket of herbs is much the same as planting a hanging container filled with annual flowering plants. Use a good potting soil mix that drains well but also contains organic material that will hold moisture. Adding a time-released fertilizer at the time of planting is a good idea, but herbs do not require as much feeding as ornamental flowering plants, so fertilize lightly. Line your basket with moss or a piece of landscape fabric before adding potting soil. This will both protect the basket and prevent soil from washing through the basket when you water. 

The larger the hanging basket you use, the more types of herbs you can grow in it. The same principles used for creating ornamental flowering baskets apply to an herb basket. Include an upright specimen, such as lady's mantle; filler herbs such as savory; and herbs that will spill over the sides of the basket, such as creeping thyme. 

When planted in a hanging basket, herbs can dry out quickly unless you are careful. Not every herb is suited for growing in a hanging basket, so it is important to choose your herbs carefully. Here are five plants that are heat-tolerant and can tolerate dryness between waterings.

  • 01 of 04

    Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox)

    thyme

    The Spruce / K. Dave 

    Choose a prostrate or creeping variety of thyme. Creeping thyme will spill over the sides of the basket and will also shade the soil, slowing evaporation. Thyme is a woody-based perennial herb, though often planted anew each season, especially when grown in containers. 

    While this plant is not grown for its flowers, the blooms do attract butterflies and other pollinators, so you might want to leave some of the blooms intact rather than snipping them away.

    This variety of thyme is used more often as an ornamental not as a culinary herb, but its flavor is similar to the more common culinary variety, Thymus vulgaris.

    • USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8; often grown as an annual
    • Color Varieties: Pale lilac; not normally grown for flowers
    • Sun Exposure: Full sun
    • Soil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, general-purpose potting mix
  • 02 of 04

    Winter Savory (Satureja montana)

    winter savory

    The Spruce / K. Dave 

    Winter savory is a fast-growing herb that tops out at about 12 inches high but can be harvested as soon as it reaches about five inches. It retains its pungent flavor, even when dried. Harvest a nip here and there as you care for your basket throughout the season. This is a mounding plant that makes a good filler plant in mixed herb baskets.

    • USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 to 8; usually grown as an annual
    • Color Varieties: White, lilac (not grown for flowers)
    • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
    • Soil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, general-purpose potting mix
  • 03 of 04

    Prostrate Rosemary ​(​Salvia rosmarinus or Rosmarinus officinalis)

    rosemary

    The Spruce / K. Dave  

    Rosemary loves growing in a hot and dry environment making it perfect for hanging baskets. Make sure to choose a prostrate variety; the standard variety is an upright plant that can grow rather tall. Prostrate rosemary likes dry conditions, so make sure to plant it with other herbs with similar needs.

    • USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 to 10; usually grown as an annual
    • Color Varieties: White, pale blue (not grown for flowers)
    • Sun Exposure: Full sun
    • Soil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, general-purpose potting mix
  • 04 of 04

    Prostrate Sage (Salvia officinalis)

    sage plant

    The Spruce / K. Dave

    You might be surprised to know that even sage has a prostrate variety that does well in a basket in full sun. Harvest it all season and dry it as you go. By the end of the season, you will have enough prostrate sage stored away to last the entire winter. Although sage likes plenty of sun, it does not do well under extreme heat. It thrives, though, in a moderate climate when placed in full sun.

    • USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
    • Color Varieties: Blue (not grown for flowers)
    • Sun Exposure: Full sun
    • Soil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, general-purpose potting mix