Create a beautiful hanging basket
On the whole, we gardeners are an optimistic bunch. This year’s pea crop is going to be the best ever, my potatoes I’ve planted are going to taste better than any potatoes I’ve tasted before. I’m going to get sponsored by Rich Tea biscuits, as I eat so many and this year, my hanging baskets are going to win prizes.
A beautiful colourful cascading hanging basket in full bloom not only looks beautiful but it fills your heart with an enormous sense of pride when you can say “I did that”.
The plants you have been growing on from earlier in the year should be ready to plant in your basket now. However, fear not, if you haven’t any plants to plant, Baytree is full of beautiful basket and bedding plants grown in their own plant nursery which are perfect for planting now.
When choosing a hanging basket, in my opinion, it is always best to go for the largest one you feel you can lift and handle. The reason for this is the larger the container, the more soil and moisture it can hold. Small baskets which hold less soil will dry out much quicker. I’m going to plant up a 14in/35cm diameter hanging basket.
Start by lining the inside of the basket. Traditionally, baskets would have been lined with sphagnum moss; however, I - and a lot of other gardeners - prefer to use a coco liner, which is made from coconut husk.
Mix a good quality basket and container compost with moisture-retaining granules, all of which you can purchase from Baytree, and fill the basket a third full. Using a pair of old scissors or a garden knife, make several equidistant holes around the basket through the liner so the base of the hole is level with the top of the soil.
I’ve chosen to plant a selection of bacopas around the sides. Gently tease the plant out of its plug and pass the roots of the plants through the holes and fan the roots out gently on top of the compost. When finished, cover with another layer of compost and repeat the process again but stagger the holes so they are not directly on top of each other. When the flowers begin to grow and cascade, the basket will look more natural.
I managed to plant three layers of bacopas in my basket before reaching the top. That said I left the compost 2in/5cm below the top of the basket.
Into the top, I added trailing begonias around the edge and in the centre, I planted upright geraniums. Make sure that when you plant these that you take care not to damage any of the other plants nestled below.
The plants will need watering now, as will you, so get the kettle on and enjoy a brew with a couple of the aforementioned biscuits.
As soon as you water the basket, its weight is going to triple. So my advice would be to hang the basket where you intend it to live and either use a hosepipe with a watering gun attachment set to a fine spray or a small watering can again with a fine rose.
The chances are the hanging basket is going to be above your head, so trying to lift a large heavy watering can may not be the best option, watering the basket with a smaller can may take longer to do but you won’t injure yourself in the process.
PREVIOUSLY:
Tidying and re-planting the pond