Plant up a bright summer basket
Add instant colour and style to your plot with ‘hanging gardens’
It’s time to get excited about creating some fantastic summer displays. Get it right now and you’ll have baskets of blooms until September or beyond, with just a little maintenance to keep them going.
Bedding mini-plugs are cheap now, online or in garden centres, and this is the most cost-effective way to plant up your displays. Unless you like lots of colours fighting for attention, keep your flower colours simple, stylish and matching, for a more eye-pleasing effect. For more planting style, add filler foliage such as sedges and ivy.
Planting it up right is the next job. Line your basket and cut three 2cm (¾in) holes in it at the bottom for good drainage. Use multi-purpose compost, unless you’re planning a more permanent display, when a loam-based compost, such as John Innes No 3, is a more long-term choice. Plant up and backfill with compost, firming in and watering well. Add some slow-release fertiliser pellets for a summer-long dose of food for your plants.
If frost is forecast, put your new baskets in the greenhouse for protection.