Tag Archives: spring garden ideas

Spring gardening ideas | Summer baskets

Baskets that flower throughout the summer

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Baskets that will flower throughout the summer

Bursting out all over in a profusion of blooms, this huge blue and yellow themed hanging basket contains no fewer than ten different kinds of plant – they come into flower at different times, so providing a long-lasting display.

Plant in spring for flowering throughout the summer. There are a lot of plants here, so allow an afternoon for the job.

Plants

  • Buy all the plants needed for this basket as small container-grown plantlets.
  • Three plants are included for their foliage: Helichrysum petiolare; creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia); and Swedish ivy (Plectranthus coleoides ‘Variegatus’).
  • Seven are chosen for their flowers: purple heliotrope ‘Marine’; petunia; trailing verbena; lobelia; nemesia; French marigold; tradescantia. Note: in the picture, not all plants are in flower.

Equipment

  • Large hanging basket with chains and hook.
  • Hanging basket liner (plastic, hessian, felt or moulded paper).
  • Potting compost.
  • Trowel.
  • Slow-release fertiliser spike.

Planting

1 Water all the plants thoroughly the day before you plan to plant them.

2 Insert the liner into the basket – prick small drainage holes through if necessary.

3 Planting such a large and varied basket requires a careful building up of layers of plants. Spread a sheet of newspaper or plastic on the ground, then take all your plants out of their original little pots and arrange them in size order on the sheet. Each should be placed in the basket according to the size of its rootball – bigger ones deeper in, smaller ones nearer the top.

4 Put a layer of compost into the bottom of the basket. Start planting, spacing the different plants around the basket, firming in, then topping up with more compost. Plant another layer and repeat the procedure. Note that the three foliage plants – the helichrysum, creeping Jenny and Swedish ivy – are all placed at the front so they can trail downwards, while the double-flowered petunia is placed centrally. Deep blue lobelias have been positioned all round the edges.

5 When the planting is complete, top up the compost to within 2.5cm (1in) of the top of the basket and insert a slow-release fertiliser spike. Hang it up in its designated position, making sure the hook and fixings are strong enough to take the considerable weight. Water thoroughly.

Tip
Invest in a long-handled, pump-action watering can to make watering your hanging basket easier – and to save you taking it down every day or climbing up a ladder to reach it.

Note
Many, but not all, of these plants are annuals and will not survive the winter. However, even those that are hardy and evergreen, such as the Swedish ivy, will be exhausted by the end of summer – so it’s best to discard the whole lot when flowering stops and plant anew in spring.

Aftercare
Water regularly – at least once a day in hot weather. Deadhead withered and faded blooms to prolong flowering and remove any damaged or discoloured foliage.

Project taken from Seasonal Garden Ideas. Available now.

 

Spring Beauty in a Basket

Spring Beauty in a Basket

Brighten up your patio or garden in spring with a hanging basket full of colour

Sp[ring Beauty in a BasketPosition it where it can be seen easily and where it can catch the sun.

  • Avoid a windy area where the basket could swing too much.
  • Plant in early spring for flowering in March and April.
  • Planting should take an hour or two.

What you need

Plants
Four to six pots of Narcissus ‘Hawera’ with the leaves just showing.
Four to six pots of pansies (Viola).
Three or four pots of grape hyacinths (Muscari).
One plant of Senecio cineraria ‘Silver Dust’.

Equipment
Hanging basket with chains and hook – if you can’t find a blue one, buy an ordinary brown one and paint it with a non-toxic proprietary wood paint.
Hanging-basket liner (plastic, felt, hessian or moulded paper).
Potting compost. Trowel.

1 Line the basket with the liner, pricking small holes through if necessary. Half-fill with compost.

2 Plant the senecio first, at the back of the basket. Firm in then top up with more compost.

3 Plant the narcissi next, spreading them around the centre of the basket and to the sides. Again, firm in and top up with compost. Plant the grape hyacinths in the same way, placing them in front of the narcissi.

4 Finally, plant the pansies, setting them at intervals around the front of the basket. Firm in, then top up with compost to within 4cm (1½in) of the rim of the basket. Water thoroughly.

5 Hang the basket securely from the branch of a tree, or in any position in the garden that gets a reasonable amount of sun.

Tip If the narcissi start to droop – or are suffering in the wind – support them with thin canes and soft string.

Notes When the flowering display is over, and the leaves of the narcissi have turned brown, transplant the pansies and senecio to a sunny spot in the garden – or to a pot. Dry off and clean the bulbs and keep in a dry, dark place until autumn, when they can be potted up again.

Aftercare Keep the basket well watered. Deadhead the flowers as they wither.

Project taken from Seasonal Garden Ideas.

 

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