Autumn & winter hanging baskets |  |
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If you want to bring the garden right up to your door all year round hanging baskets are a simple solution. They can be fixed on a house or garden wall, or suspended from the beams of a porch or the branches of a tree. They don't take long to prepare and can be changed several times a year to give varied and colourful interest.
Hanging baskets are made from a wide selection of materials but most are either plastic coated wire, plastic or wicker. Half baskets are especially suited to garden walls and the extra protection they get often means that they flower that bit earlier and longer.
A basket full of wet compost and plants can be fairly heavy so it is important that the fixings such as the bracket are secure. Brackets are an important feature of the basket so they should look good and allow the chains holding the basket to hang evenly.
There are many plants that do well in baskets, which will give colour over a long period during the autumn and winter. Bedding plants such as Pansy, Viola, Polyanthus and Primula are good fillers whilst Ivy is well suited as a trailing plant. |
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On arrival | | | • | Unpack your plants as soon as they arrive and check that everything you expect is enclosed. | | • | Water any plants that have dried out in transit. | | • | Ideally plug plants (particularly small plugs & standard plugs) should be potted up within a day or two into 7.5cm pots (3in), but they should stay in good condition for a week or so if well-watered and fed every few days with a liquid plant food. Plants should be left in a light, sheltered, place such as a greenhouse or cold frame. Loose packed plants are best potted on or planted out immediately, providing the weather conditions are suitable. |
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Growing on | | | • | Before potting up, thoroughly water your plants and leave to drain for half an hour. | | • | Select your pots or growing trays, which should be at least twice the size of the plug plant. If re-using old pots or trays wash them first in a mild disinfectant solution and rinse well. | | • | For plug plants in trays push the blunt end of a pencil through the hole underneath each plug and the plant will emerge at the top without disturbing the root system. | | • | Handle your plants carefully so as not to damage the leaves and stems. | | • | Fill your pots or trays with a good potting compost as this will contain more nutrients and reduce the need for additional feeding. | | • | Simply make a hole large enough to accommodate the roots with a dibber and plant so that the top of the root-ball is at compost level. | | • | Water well. | | • | Grow on for a few weeks in a light sheltered frost-free spot out of direct sunlight, preferably a cool greenhouse or cold frame. | | • | All your plants should be compact and bushy but as they grow, you may need to pinch out the growing tips of the more trailing types. |
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When your plants are large enough and have produced enough roots to hold the compost together, they should be hardened off ready for planting out. Simply put your plants outside during the day and bring them in at night, and after a week or two they can be left outside or planted out. |
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Planting a hanging basket | | Get together all the things you'll need: | • | A large basket 30-45cm (12-18") diameter | | • | Good quality potting compost (A container compost is generally better than multi-purpose as it contains more plant food) | | • | Water retaining granules unless already in the compost (These are even beneficial in winter as baskets can dry out quickly in windy conditions) | | • | Basket liner or moss | | • | Plants | | • | Bucket |
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Rest the basket on the bucket, on a bench so it is at the right height for you, and the side plants can hang down when you plant them. |
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Wire baskets | | If using a basket liner: | • | Place the liner in the basket and place an old saucer, small round aluminium tray or piece of polythene in the base to stop water draining out. Add potting compost (mixed with the water retaining granules) so the basket is half full. | | • | Carefully push small plants from the outside through the gaps in the side, taking care not to damage the roots. | | • | With larger plants wrap a funnel of paper around the top of the plant and carefully push this through from the inside of the basket out, until the neck of the roots is firm against the side. | | • | Top up with compost to about 2cm (?") below the rim of the basket. |
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If using moss: | • | Line the basket to about the half way mark with moss and add potting compost to this level. | | • | Insert plants at intervals as described above and then add a further layer of moss, compost and plants. | | • | Finish with a final layer of moss and top up with compost to about 2cm (?") below the rim of the basket. | | • | Put in the remaining plants, starting with one large plant in the centre and working outwards with smaller plants. |
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Plastic baskets | | | • | Plastic baskets can be lined with a circle of an old woollen jumper or newspaper to provide a bit of extra insulation from the cold and retain moisture. | | • | Fill the basket with compost to about 2cm (?") below the rim of the basket and making small holes for your plants, starting with one large plant in the centre and working outwards with smaller plants. | | • | Water thoroughly and place in a greenhouse or sheltered spot out of direct sunlight for a week or so before hanging in its final position once the danger of frost has passed (usually from late May). |
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Aftercare | | | • | Baskets are prone to drying out even in the autumn and winter and should be watered frequently especially during mild windy weather. | | • | Snip off the dead heads of flowers at regular intervals to encourage a longer flowering season. | | • | Liquid feed about once a week during the flowering period to keep your plants looking healthy and flowering longer (tomato fertiliser is ideal). |
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