Hanging garden flags is very easy.

• First you have to have something to display it on such as a pole, stand or bracket. To display on a pole, first pick your location to display your flag.

• If during installation you find the ground too hard, you can soak it with a bucket of water or spray with a garden hose. Position your pole straight horizontally and vertically.

• Straight push down on the H stake with the sole of your foot (shoe on of course!) a little way just so it’s standing on its own. Step back and see if it looks straight from the front and side angle.

• Adjust as needed. When it suits you, push the pole all the way level to the ground.

• Now it’s time to put the flag on. Along the top of the flag there is an opening that runs the length of the flag with 2 open ends. Open one end and slide it on the horizontal bar until it’s completely on and hanging. 

Some flags are one sided so you’ll want to make sure it’s on the pole correctly. I’m referring to one sided flags that have text on them only. You don’t want the text reading backwards. Since flag sleeves and flagpole bars sometime come in different sizes, you’ll either have to put the flag on backwards to make it read correctly when it hangs or you maybe able to put it on correctly to begin with.

Anyway, if the flag text doesn’t read correctly, pull the flag off and turn over and slide on. It will be correct then. If you have a stopper, push this on the bar too after the flag. 

Another idea is have a solar light shining on your flag. Place the solar light in the ground in front of the flag. Your light will have to be in sunlight at least for a day for it to charge. It will have to remain in sunlight in order to illuminate nightly. It won’t shine as long during the night if the day has been cloudy.

Since garden flag poles are so easy to move around, there are a lot of places you can highlight with flags. 

Some places to hang a garden flag are -- 

Driveway - at entrance where a visitor will see upon arriving or midway or near the end to be seen by someone exiting their car.

Flower bed - If you display a garden flag in a flower bed or near flowers, be sure you know what is needed for your flowers in the way of shade or full sun. For example, if your flowers or plants require full sun, don’t place your flag in a spot that will block the sun from your plants. Also it might be best to put a garden flag near low plants only. Your flag could damage high plants, especially delicate ones when it flaps in the wind.

Porch steps - I have a garden flag near my front porch steps. A pretty welcome flag goes nicely here.

Mailbox - There are brackets that can be mounted on wooden mailbox posts.

Doors - You may have or seen a wreath door hanger. Well there are also garden flag door hangers.There is no labor or hardware to install the hanger. Just slide the flag on the horizontal bar and place the hook end over the top of the door.

Some flags have phrase on them that might have special meaning to you that you’d like to display.

Grave - If your cemetery rules allow it, an appropriate garden flag can be placed at a loved one’s grave site. There are also mini flags that measure 4”x 6” that might be used there too.

Porch/Patio - There are also stands for garden flags that aren’t inserted in the ground. They are free standing holders. The holder can be put on any flat stable surface. Example is the Carson Garden Flag Stand.

To hide something - I have a garden flag hanging in front of a dwarf evergreen tree that has a bare spot. The flag hides it.

Another fun and creative part of using garden flags is selecting the pole or holder you’ll display them on. You might think there is just the generic flag stand that is put in the ground and the 

flag slid on the horizontal bar. There are many more types of poles, stands, brackets and hangers for garden flags.

• Arbor - These usually measure around 15”w x 42”h. I like arbors because they usually have a decorative top and flags stay secure on them.

• Decorative - Flag stands come either plain or with a decorative metal top or decoration on the vertical pole. I personally have a flag pole with a horse on top.

• Door hanger - This is a horizontal bar to slide a garden flag on. This bar is connected to a vertical bar which hooks over the top of the door. It can be used on an interior or exterior door.

• Post bracket - These are straight horizontal metal bars that can be attached by screws to such places as mailbox posts or porch posts.

• Stake base - This is handy to have especially to display garden flag poles on surfaces other than in the ground. The stake base is a round  base with 2 slots to stand a garden flag pole in. It’s perfect to use for short periods of time such as a wedding or birthday party. It’s easily set up and removed.

• Wall hanger - These are perfect for displaying a garden flag indoors. It’s a horizontal bar hung by a cord connected to both ends.

Click here for the full selection of garden flag poles and accessories.

Although spring and summer are probably the most popular seasons to hang flags, don’t be disappointed when fall and winter come. All seasons are flag worthy. Even winter! There are lots of Christmas and winter scene flags. 

Some tips for displaying flags in the Winter are--

• Don’t hang flags during bad weather, particularly during strong winds and freezing rain.Hanging flags during this weather will most likely damage your flag. It could start fraying at the seams or get rips.

• Since the ground will be hard or frozen during the winter, a good idea is to position your flag pole(s) in the ground before winter. In late fall put your pole(s) in the ground where they will stay until spring.

• Don’t hang flags where there might be water dripping off a roof or other object. Your flag and pole could freeze from the dripping water.

• You might not want to hang your flag near a road or street because of splashing water from passing cars.

There are ways to prevent the tragedy of your garden flag being blown off its pole and possibly never found. 

One preventative is a rubber stopper. This a round flat piece of rubber with a small hole thru the middle. After placing your flag on the pole, slide a stopper on the pole close to the flag. Don’t slide it too far that it bunches the flag. The stopper will keep the flag securely on the pole. 

There are also specially made flag poles that hold flags securely. For example the 3 piece reinforced garden flag. It has a lock at the end of the pole to keep the flag on.

Some poles have looped ends on the horizontal bar that keeps the flag on. Garden arbors also are good for holding flags securely.   

Don’t forget to bring in your flag in very windy weather anyway.

It’s so annoying to look out my window and see a garden flag flipped over and not hanging down. It bugs me, so I go out and flip it back over.

There is a gadget called a garden flag stabilizer that will solve this problem. It’s a horizontal bar with 2 clips that attach to the bottom of the garden flag adding a little weight to keep the flag from flipping.

Another way to keep your garden flag from flipping is to use flag clips. One end of the clip clasps around the flagpole. The other end clips to the flag. The clip should be put near the bottom of the flag. They can be unclipped and used again.

You’ll want to maintain the color and appearance of your flags. 

• If your flag needs to be washed, use mild detergent in cold water. 
• Do not let it soak because colors could bleed. 
• Rinse in cold water and lay flat to dry. 
• Never put flags in a wash machine or dryer. 
• Having more than one will help with less fading too. Rotating flags will expose them to less sun exposure. 
• Anticipate how much sun exposure it will get. You may want to place it near a tree or other area that gets some shade during the day. A flag hung in direct sunlight will fade faster if kept out for a long period of time. 
• As your flags age they may get loose threads or rips. These should be fixed when first seen to prevent further damage. Loose threads can be clipped and re-hemmed on a sewing machine or by hand.

Most flags today are fairly fade resistant but a little extra protection will extend the life of the flag. To help combat against fading use a fabric protectant spray with UV protection or water proof spray. 

• Lay the flag down on a flat surface in a well ventilated area. You can use an old towel or other piece of cloth to lay the flag on to protect the table. 
• Spray a small area lightly to see if the colors bleed. If it doesn’t bleed, then spray in even strokes across the flag top to bottom. Don’t soak the flag! 
• Wait a few minutes then turn the flag over and repeat.
• When it’s dry you can hang it. 

When storing your flags NEVER store a wet or damp flag. Dampness can lead to mildew, mold or fungus. Yuck! You don’t want that! Only store dry flags. Never roll and fold a flag. I keep my garden flags in a clear plastic bag with flags flat. Sometimes when you buy a new blanket, bedspread, etc. it comes in a nice clear plastic bag with a zipper. This is what I use. I have a big drawer that it lays flat in. 

You can also buy something made especially for flag storage. The Flaginizer by Evergreen holds 21 garden flags and 9 house flags. It’s a large plastic bag with slots for the flag. It has a swivel hook at the tip. It can be hung in a closet.

Most garden flags measure 12.5” x 18” but there could be a slight difference depending on brands. There is also the mini flag that measures 4” x 8” and requires a smaller pole.

Today’s garden flags come in a variety of materials.

• Polyester or polyester blend - is probably the most popular material.

• Burlap - high quality and very durable to last year after year.

• Felt - made of a poly blend with the look and feel of felt

• Linen - high quality polyester based linen like fabric.

• Metal - made of lightweight powder coated metal 

There are also different types of garden flags such as

• Appliqued - made using tight detailed stitching

• GlitterTrends - have areas of glitter to make the flag sparkle.

• Coloring flags - flags that can be colored with markers included

• Musical - play a digital sound with motion

• Fiber Optic - have light or sound

• Solar light - these have a solar light inside that shines at night