Brighten up your outdoor living space with a show stopping hanging basket. Great for small spaces and a brilliant way to add colour to drab walls, fences, patios and balconies. Not only do they look beautiful but hanging baskets are ideal for growing trailing plants, flowers, foliage and vegetables, as well as adding lush green interest and beauty to every nook and cranny of your home and garden. Not to mention a great gardening project for adults and kids alike.
If you’d like to create your own hanging garden but not sure where to start, then you’re in luck as this handy guide with tell you how, from choosing the right basket and plants to tips on how to care for your beautiful blooms. Now really is the perfect time to ensure your basket is flowering by summer.
Which basket to choose
Hanging baskets come in a wide variety of styles, sizes and materials. Popular choices include plastic coated wire or wicker baskets and plastic baskets. Some come with lining and others have no lining at all. It all really comes down to personal preference. The main thing to look out for is to ensure the basket you choose has adequate drainage.
Choosing your plants
You can use almost any plant you wish for a hanging basket, as long as it has enough room to grow. Summer bedding plants are popular choices for hanging baskets. These include fuchsias, petunias, pansies, verbena, begonias, geraniums and lobelias. Herbs such as basil, rosemary and thyme will grow well in a hanging basket, and strawberries and bush tomatoes too.
For more veggie growing tips, take a look at our How To Grow Vegetables guide.
Caring for your basket
Ensure to use a good quality, peat free multi-purpose compost which is nutrient rich to feed your plants. Summer bedding plants will appreciate a weekly feed with a liquid fertiliser or plant food. Some plant food only need to be added once or twice and it will feed your plants for months, so be sure to read the instructions, and use accordingly.
How To Create Your Basket
Step 1: Rest the basket on a bucket, plant pot or it’s side, ensure it’s stable. If the basket isn’t lined, use a moss liner or special propriety liner (usually made of card, foam or fibre). Top Tip: Place a saucer in the bottom to stop water draining straight through (optional).
Step 2: Half fill the basket with a good quality multi-purpose compost. At this stage you can add water retaining crystals to the compost, but this step is optional. Although be cautious with the number of crystals you add. You can find garden gloves and the garden tools you may need in our garden collection.
Step 3: Add your trailing plants through holes in the sides and cover the roots with a little more compost. Now add your remaining chosen plants. Taller plants (such as lavender) in the centre, followed by smaller plants around it.
Step 4: Continue to add your plants and compost, leaving around 5-6 cm space from the top and water. Top Tip: If you make your basket look full at time of planting, it will produce a more dramatic, full and colourful display when it flowers.
Step 5: Remember to water and feed your baskets regularly to ensure they get the required nutrients they need to grow into beautiful blooms.
For more 'How To' inspiration take a look at the following guides:
How To: Upcycle Old Garden Pots