Raise your game
Want to give your garden a sizzling summer lift? Nothing tops brilliant hanging baskets
THE first house we ever owned was the odd one out in the street. While the rest of the late-Victorian properties were made from gorgeous yellow stock bricks, ours was plastered with lumpy, beige pebbledash. It really made our house seem austere in comparison to the mellow-hued ones nearby.
We considered stripping off the wall finish or giving it a lick of paint. In t he end, we si mply improved the drab facade with some hanging baskets filled with summer bedding.
I can’t pretend there ere was a total transformation, tion, but the colourful flow- wers certainly helped d to take the edge off f the sea of stones.
Apart from adding cheer to dull walls and fences, hanging baskets have loads of uses.
They will brighten n up patios and make ke doorways more welcoming, and are perfect for those with really small ll gardens. Best of all, they give anyo ne the opportunity to grow a range of plants that are unashamedly colourful.
Late spring is the best time to put together a beautiful hanging basket arrangement. Finished baskets should be stowed in a light, shelt ered spot i ndoors f or a f ew weeks, giving young plants plenty of time to establish and put on growth. They will be ready for life outside at the end of the month or in early summer.
Hanging baskets may be a common sight outdoors these days, but back in Victorian times they were used for displaying trailing houseplants in parlours. During the 20th Century they relocated outside, as
a novel no way of presenting sentin tender plants that were wer usually grown in i beds. bd For an exuberant summer display, go for a mixture of traditional favourites. Fuchsias, pelargoniums and heliotropes will provide height, while fibrous- rooted begonias, marigolds and ageratum are great for filling gaps. Use dichondra, helichrysum, nasturtiums and petunias for their trailing stems.
Of course, you don’t have to create a conventional display. Baskets look great filled with succulents, grasses or even clematis. If you want to grow your own edibles, try leafy salads, tumbling tomatoes or strawberries. It’s even possible to grow raspberries and blackberries, thanks to the introduction of compact, trailing varieties.
Unless the basket has a flat base, you will need to find a way to keep it stable when filling with plants. A trick that works for me is to pop it into the top of a large pot or bucket, which allows access to the sides but prevents it from wobbling around. As a bonus, I find that raising the basket makes planting up more comfortable.
Today, most baskets have solid sides or pre-formed slots around the perimeter for trailing plants, which are held in place by lattice panels. Traditional wire baskets will need lining with moss, jute or some other material that will prevent compost falling out and will retain moisture.
Add compost, then start planting, prising holes in the liner for trailers or feeding them through preformed gaps. Once you reach the top, dot a few more trailing plants around the edge. Arrange plants on the top, with a taller type in the centre surrounded by more compact, bushier forms.
Leave a 2in gap between the lip of the container and the surface of the compost to help it hold water. It is unnecessary to buy special hanging basket compost; multipurpose compost fortified with controlled release fertiliser granules and water-retaining crystals is ideal.
Once it is warm enough outside, suspend the basket from a bracket that is high enough so that the top is just above eye level. Water regularly, feed weekly with liquid tomato food, and remove fading flowers to ensure the display lasts until the first frosts.
THEY WILL BRIGHTEN UP PATIOS AND ADD CHEER TO DULL WALLS