Low maintenance hanging baskets?

I've been asked a question on another (non gardening) forum which I am hoping some kindly soul can help with

"At xxxx house we have a decked area with pergola over with hooks for baskets as well as several brackets on the fences for baskets. Baskets & pots were the main colour in the garden for previous owners. Obviously being a holiday home we simply can't have a high maintenance garden so lots of pots will be a no no. Can you recommend anything for baskets that would cope with minimal watering, no dead-heading etc? I could only think of ivy but hubbie hates ivy as he is forever pulling it up in the garden at home. Ideally I want something inexpensive in case it dies!"

I have only ever grown Fuchsias in hanging baskets and they required regular watering, sometimes every day if we didn't have any rain. The property in question is a holiday property so they aren't down there very often. It has been suggested that self watering hanging baskets and/or gel crystals may help, but even then I would imagine they would still need more regular watering (the house is in Pembrokeshire).

Can anybody offer any advice please, even if it is to confirm that there is nothing really that will survive unless it is watered?

I have suggested that she may be better off planting some nice climbers to cover the pergola (although they would also require more water in the first year but at least if they were in the ground they would have a better chance of surviving).

 

Plastic flowers
You only get out, what you put in.

 

Well I can't think of any plants that can do without water!!

Val

 

what about sedums lots of varieties, put some swell gel in the mix


Spruce

 

what about sedums (house leeks) lots of varieties, put some swell gel in the mix


Spruce

 

what about sedums (house leeks) lots of varieties, put some swell gel in the mix


Spruce

 

Ok Spruce we get the sedums,

 

The last twice we went to Pembrokeshire camping it rained all week (sorry) LOL

 

Nothing plastic looks effective close up,although you can get some nice silk ones, not sure how they would stand up to the weather, I pass a house on a regular basis that has fake ivy trailing from some wall urns, and I will be honest and say from the road it looks good.

 

Pembrokeshire usually gets plenty of celestial watering, but if it's nice it's very, very nice. I'd plant something very drought resistant -maybe a sedum- and hope for the best. Do you think sedum spectabile (the big ones) would look weird in a hanging basket?

 

Did I mention Sedums House leeks

 

No don't think you did Spruce, I'll pass it on

 

Don't knock the box balls I've got them in my garden