Hanging baskets liven up spaces
WINTER SPECIALS: COLOUR IN THE GREY SEASON
Also known as the fourth dimension in gardening, this form of decoration is equal to floral art.
Wondering how to decorate your outdoor living space? Look no further than hanging baskets.
It is easy and affordable to plant up your own but there is nothing wrong with falling in love with planted-up baskets. They usually include a breath-taking combination of winter annuals in full flower, floral art.
For the do-it-yourself gardener, a wire basket is better than a plastic container because the roots stay cooler.
Coir liners in all sizes are available and these also allow the water to drain through easily. Invest in a good, quality potting soil and mix in Ludwig’s Vigo-longer – a multi-coated fertiliser with a controlled release of balanced nutrients.
Winter annuals that perform best in baskets are those that first develop mounded growth and then cascade over the edge, like calibrachoa, trailing petunias, pansies and snapdragons.
Daintier flowers like Alyssum and Brachyscome (with a small daisy-like flower), planted around the edge of the basket, add texture and softness.
Hanging baskets filled with cyclamen or primroses can be used indoors, or in a sheltered outdoor area with bright, indirect light.
The basket should not be higher than shoulder or eye level and positioned where it is easy to see and appreciate the flowers.
This space is now being referred to as the “fourth dimension” of garden space, that is, midway between the other dimensions of floor, walls and ceiling.
Hanging baskets can tolerate far more sun in winter.
Baskets still need daily watering and supplementary feeding with liquid fertiliser; ideally once a week for fantastic flowers. A good idea is to have a dedicated watering can with added liquid fertiliser so that plants will receive a little bit of food every day.
Because baskets drain through quickly, follow a two-step watering process. Water lightly, and wait for five minutes while the water soaks in. Then water lightly again. By watering gently the basket retains more water.
Once a week fill a basin or bucket and submerge the bottom of the container for half an hour. This allows the roots to fully absorb necessary moisture.
What’s new for hanging baskets
Calibrachoa Can Can “Bumble Bee Pink” is a vivid pink calibrachoa with a yellow star in the centre. The colour is exuberant, and the plants are very vigorous.
They keep a neat shape and don’t become untidy or straggly. Plants do best in full sun and one plant will fill a medium to large hanging basket.
Brachyscome Fresco “Candy” produces masses of bright pink, daisy-like flowers on mounded plants, 30cm high and wide. It is ideal for mixed hanging baskets.
Make sure the potting mix drains well as plants are sensitive to overwatering.
Alyssum “Stream” has spreading growth making it suitable for hanging baskets. Its honey-scented flowers in shades of white, lavender and raspberry tumble over each other. Snapdragon “Candy Showers” is a trailing snapdragon that is cold tolerant. It is available in a range of vivid colours
Petunia Easy Wave ‘Beachcomber mix’ combines blue, coral and pink petunias – eye-catching! The rhino still remains to be the most vulnerable specie to date. However, there are other species that are in danger and your help is needed. 1.
This species is found in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Mozambique. This limits its already declining population.
They used to be bred in Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Namibia but now are completely extinct in Swaziland with only a small non-breeding population found in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The SA population is currently listed at 2 900 of which about 1 450 are found in the Maloti Drakensberg mountains.
In 2013, 110 of these in this region were killed from unintentional poisoning by what’s presumed to be poachers and irresponsible farmers, with a further 52 who died from electrocution collision from power lines
Cape Vulture The role of conservation
Vulpro.com is a leading Cape Vulture conservation.
What you can do?
Get yourself a My Planet card (visit Myschool.co.za for details) for free and make Vulpro your beneficiary.
Whenever you swipe at participating stores, a percentage goes to Vulpro.
Checkout Vulpro’s wish list and donate what you can. Sign yourself up to volunteer at the Vulpro centre just outside of Hartebeespoort.
Donate to Vulpro or the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey programme. 2.
Cheetah
The world’s fastest land What you can do? Email cheetah@intekom. co.za and sign up to volunteer. Sponsor a wish-list item on the Cheetah Conservation Fund list.
Make a donation to either Cheetah Outreach or the Cheetah Conservation Fund. 3.
Also known as the painted dog, their numbers have declined rapidly across Africa due to hunting.
Poaching and diseases like rabies contribute.
African Wild dog What conservation is doing
The Endangered Wildlife Trust has sponsored a major monitoring and reintroduction programme to this region. What you can do?
Contribute to Wildlife ACT Fund.
Support Save the African Wild Dog’s efforts 4.
Mostly found in the Western Cape, they tend to collide with power lines.
Blue Crane What conservation is doing
There are the Endangered Wildlife Trust has an active African crane conservation programme. – National Geographic, Getaway