Hanging baskets add a whole new dimension to gardening, helping to utilise all the available space. Perfect for brightening up patios, sheds or make a fabulous display of colour by your front door.
Create your own hanging basket using our step by step guide:
You will need
Basket – wicker or wire
Liner
Compost – multipurpose, preferably peat-free
Support – we recommend a bucket to hold the basket while you plant
Basket plants – 8-9 plants would fill a 14-inch basket – choose a mix of upright and trailing plants. A large upright centre piece works well.
Suggested Plant list
Create an all summer long blooming basket with:
1 x Upright Geranium – as your centrepiece
3 x Trailing Geraniums
1 x Trailing Fushia
1 x Trailing Begonia
1 x Surfina
1 x Lobelia
Planting your hanging basket
Use our layout guide or create your own.
Place your empty basket on a bucket so it is held firmly in place while you add plants.
Adjust the liner so it fits the basket snugly.
Fill half the basket with compost mix and firm down.
Insert your chosen centre plant.
Add any trailing plants around the rim.
Pop in your filler plants.
Fill in around the roots with further compost mix.
Hang then water.
Top tip: Protect your Summer plants from frost by storing in the greenhouse to grow on. Or, bring your basket under cover each evening.
Watering
Summer baskets cannot be allowed to dry out completely. A few hours in hot sunshine can be enough to wilt your plants beyond rescue so you will need to be vigilant and water regularly.
In the height of summer, your hanging baskets will need to be watered every day. Water thoroughly and make sure the water is absorbed by the compost and doesn’t just drain away. Even after bouts of heavy rain, it will be surprising how little water will reach the compost as the foliage of your plants can act as an umbrella.
Feeding
In order to guarantee the best results you will have to feed your plants regularly throughout summer. Most compost for your hanging baskets will already contain a limited amount of fertiliser. However, within a few weeks of planting the level of nutrients will have been depleted and your plants will be hungry. You will need to add more nutrients to improve your plants flowering and encourage strong growth.
Deadheading
As the flowers fade it is important to deadhead by pinching out the old flowers. In addition to encouraging plants to produce more flowers, deadheading will also help to keep your garden looking neat and tidy as faded blooms look unattractive and messy.
Summer bedding plants work hard to produce magnificent displays of flowers and can easily wear themselves out after a short time if left to their own devices. By following these simple steps you will not only ensure your plants survival but you will keep them flowering right through till the end of summer and up to the first frosts.
If you’d like us to plant up your hanging baskets for you, then please see our ‘How to’? Use Our Summer Basket Refill Service.