Could I hang ferns?

If not what suggestions do you have for hanging baskets? I have never had any good luck with flowers in this spot. My neighbor across from me always has the biggest most gorgeous geraniums!

Yes, you should be able to hang ferns outside over summer—but not yet. I’d say not until it’s consistently around 50 or higher overnite, and, even then, be prepared to bring them in overnite if it’s gonna get much colder.

When you do want to put them out, slowly acclimate them to the direct sun. Put them out for maybe a half hour the first couple days, then up to an hour for a couple days, and gradually a little bit longer to be sure you don’t burn them. They’d recover, but they’d probably look really bad for quite a while if they got sunburned. (The leaves on most plants will turn white looking if they get sunburned—not sure about a fern.)

If you want to try something else, impatiens or begonias should work in the light conditions you’re describing—or coleus is another possibility. And for something trailing you could add some "vinca vine," the large leaf vinca (Vinca major) that’s sold with the bedding plants in spring. There are white variegated and yellow variegated ones that are real nice.

Does your neighbor also have an eastern exposure? If so, ask what kinds of geraniums she/he uses. There are geraniums that work well in hanging baskets—ivy geraniums, etc.—but I think they’d need more than a couple hours of direct sun. Not sure about that! You also might want to watch closely for a couple days to see if you’re getting more sun than you think you are. If so, it could be that the plants you’ve tried in the past didn’t like how they were being watered, and adjusting watering might make you more successful. Hanging baskets can be hard to manage in our dry climate.

Happy spring,
Skybird