Now is the time to plant winter basket displays
Autumn is the perfect time to start creating your end of season pots and hanging basket displays.
There are many plants including flowering ones which will provide a flush of colour throughout the cold months of winter into next spring.
By planting in autumn it means that your plants will have a couple of weeks to grow and establish before the cold weather really sets in.
A great choice for beginners is winter pansies. They come in an array of colours and are very straight forward to keep.
The trick with making sure these plants last though winter is to buy them from late September onwards at the earliest otherwise they tend to flower quickly and become leggy before winter even sets in. October is the ideal time to purchase.
If you’re worried about the space between your plants I would recommend allowing around one to two inches between each plant.
You will find that they won’t grow as much during the winter months and so planting them closer together is fine.
Next spring you can cut them back if they are looking a bit overgrown and they should reflower again if you’re lucky.
Don’t worry about the type of soil you use either, a general multi-purpose compost will do the job.
Another great winter flowering plant is primroses.
Although they won’t flower until next year, it’s a good idea to plant them now so that when your other plants start to die back they will take their place and provide weeks of endless flowering next spring.
You’ll also save money if you buy them now as they are much cheaper due to the fact that they aren’t in flower.
Another great way of filling up your containers and baskets is to add mixed shrubs.
You can buy them in trays of about six for £7 to £8 and range from deep purples and reds to glossy greens.
As they will hardly grow during the winter you don’t need to worry about them taking over and come next spring you can plant them back out into the garden where they belong.
It’s a great way of filling up your displays and is also very cost affective.
I hope you have found these tips helpful. If you have any gardening questions you would like answered you can email me: jordan1trainer1@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.