Dress up a boring lamppost by adding a hanging basket or two. Fit your lamppost with a hanging basket bracket and add some color to your garden or driveway with baskets full of flowering or vining plants, herbs or even fruits like hanging strawberries. Most brackets comprise a collar that fits around the neck of the lamppost and one or two arms that attach to the bracket. Brackets are available in a variety of sizes, colors and styles to compliment your home.
Step One
Make a pencil mark on the lamppost at the height where you want to mount the hanging basket bracket. Take into consideration the length of the hanging baskets when deciding how high to place the bracket. Hooks & Lattice recommends considering the type of plants that will be placed in the baskets as well. The bracket will need to be higher to accommodate baskets containing vining plants.
Step Two
Measure the circumference of the lamppost at the location where you intend to install the bracket using a flexible tape measure. Divide the figure by 3.14 or pi to determine the diameter of the lamp post. The bracket must be able to fit around the post but also be snug enough to support the weight of the hanging baskets. Acquire a bracket that is as close to the diameter of the lamppost as possible. You may need to order custom brackets to fit the lamppost if it is tapered, square or fluted, according to Garden Artisan.
Step Three
Attach the bracket collar and arms to the lamppost following the manufacturer's instructions. Use a ladder, if necessary, to reach the mark you made for the height of the bracket. Place the bracket collar around the lamppost and align it on that mark. Installation for most brackets will require using a wrench to tighten bolts to the lamppost. Insert the arms into the bracket and tighten them in place using a wrench if necessary.
Step Four
Add hanging baskets to the brackets. Buy pre-made baskets or design them yourself by filling them with potting soil and then planting flowers, vines, herbs or even fruits in the baskets. Keep your planters under the maximum weight restrictions for the brackets. Water the hanging baskets regularly based on the needs of the plants.