CREATING MY HANGING BASKETS

Yesterday I put together my hanging baskets and I thought I would share with you the way I do mine.



Hanging baskets with bacopa planted in the sides

 

I like to use the old-fashioned kind of basket and even though my baskets have a flat base, I still like to sit them on a pot.  This adds to stability and helps when planting the side plants.  I put the basket on a table as this saves having to bend over.  I have two types of basket: one type is metal and has wide spaces between the bars; the other is plastic and the spaces are narrower.  While the wide spacing allows easier insertion of plants in the sides, it does permit the plastic to bulge but this should not be a problem.  The narrower spacing, however, makes it harder to insert the plants but holds the compost in the container more firmly!

Before I start, I undo at least one of the chains.  This makes things a lot easier later on.  Then I line the basket with a black bin liner or a compost bag if I have one spare (black side facing out).  This year I have used all my old compost bags in which to grow potatoes!

Fill the basket about 1/3 full with a suitable compost.  This year I have used Miracle Gro Moisture Control compost.  It holds a lot of water and helps stop your baskets from drying out too quickly.  I do not trim off the excess plastic until I have finished. This is very important. 

 

Then I insert plants (making sure I have watered them first) into the side of the basket by making holes in the plastic.  If the roots are not too large, I find it best to insert the plants from the outside to the inside.  If this isn't possible, I insert the plants through the sides of the basket from the inside to the outside.  It's necessary to be very careful with the young growth to avoid damaging it.  (the foliage can be protected by forming a paper sheath around the foliage while you push the foliage through.  In the sides of my containers this year I have inserted white and blue trailing Lobelias and white Bacopa.

 

 

 

 

When you have all your side plants in, add more compost.  Personally, then, I fill my basket almost up to the top and make holes to put in my top plants.  I find by doing it this way, I am not struggling to fill the container with compost while trying to avoid damaging the leaves of the plants.

 

 

I tend to put rather a lot of plants in the top of my baskets.  That is why I like to use a plastic liner.  It helps keep moisture inside the basket.  This year I have planted in the top: violas, petunias, trailing fuchsias, mimula, impatiens (Busy Lizzy), and verbena.

As you can see by the photo above, my baskets have a deep amount of compost (thanks to the plastic) and they can cope with a lot of plants.  When you have finished planting, water the container well.  Excess water should run out of the slots where the side plants are but it is not a bad idea to poke in a couple of small holes a couple of inches up from the base.  This allows a reservoir of water to collect at the bottom of the container yet prevents the entire basket becoming waterlogged. 

Finally, trim off the excess plastic a good inch or so above the top level of the basket.  This ensures that the compost is retained.  I then re-attach the chain, and hang. 

As you can see below, I use the same method to plant up other containers.  I still used a black plastic lining and cut holes through the coconut fibre and plastic. 

Don't forget to bring the baskets inside or protect them in some way when there is danger of frost.

 

Baskets in a former garden of mine