Baskets of Bloom; Gardening

By Hannah Stephenson

WHILE it may seem a little early to be planting up hanging baskets for this summer, if you have somewhere to shelter them overnight to protect them from frost, you can get an early start.

Plug plants are still available in garden centres and can more easily be slotted through holes in liners to protrude from the sides of wire baskets than more mature plants with bigger leaves.

There are a variety of liners from which to choose, from sphagnum moss to dyed coir, or you could even cut up a woolly jumper which will retain the soil and some of the moisture, but still has sufficient holes to poke plants through.

Once the liner is in place, cut out a circle of plastic and place it on the base of the liner. Alternatively, a saucer will help to prevent immediate water loss.

Place the container on a bucket so it is off the ground but can be moved around for even planting, before you begin adding the compost. Add water-retaining gel, which comes in a granule form, and slow-release feeds to your compost at planting time. Each time you water, the gel absorbs more water than the compost and retains water for longer, gradually giving off moisture to the surrounding compost.

Adding slow-release feed means you won’t have the bother of remembering to liquid feed your plants on a weekly basis during the growing season.

Add a layer of compost to the height you want your first plants, then push your plants through the cut-out holes from the inside of the basket out. Then continue adding compost to the next layer you want your plants as you work your way up the sides of the basket.

Once you reach the top, plant a taller specimen in the middle, surrounded by trailers around the edge to hide the rim.

Suitable upright plants include geraniums, begonia and petunias, while trailers to soften the sides include lobelia, campanula, scae- vola, black-eyed Susan and Heli-chrysum petiolare.

Remember that many bedding plants are going to demand a lot of water during the summer. For this reason, I usually avoid putting thirsty plants such as fuchsias in hanging baskets.

Drought-tolerant plants which are easier to maintain in hanging baskets include pelargoniums, begonias, nasturtiums, verbena and brachyscome. If your hanging basket is going into a shady spot, brighten it up with busy lizzies, which will tolerate shade.

At this time of year, you should be able to put your baskets outside on sunny days, but don’t forget to bring them undercover at night time. If you don’t have a greenhouse or conservatory and the weather is particularly cold, bring them under your porch and throw an old net curtain or some horticultural fleece over them to protect them from frost.

Plant up your baskets now and they should be flourishing much earlier than many of your fellow gardeners.

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