Floral hanging baskets

[nonameinspiration]

Dd1 wants double decker overflowing bumper baskets this year. I am mostly cramp at gardening so I need advice for idiots.

We have the hooks. I have last years baskets that have gone out of shape. I put petunias in them but they went leggy v quickly and needed watering about 6 times a day!

Are plastic baskets better? If no then what is?

Are the already made up baskets worth the money?

What's the hardiest brightest plants I can buy?

We are in Devon. Thank you

[averylongtimeago]

m.ebay.co.uk/itm/300859316680

This is the sort of thing you need. Get good quality compost, add water retention gel and slow release fertiliser granules.
You can "theme" the colour or mix for an in your face ott look. Don't forget to use foliage plants as well as flowering ones.

[Liara]

Use drought tolerant plants. Madagascar periwinkle is useful for hanging baskets and can tolerate dry conditions much better than petunias.

[nonameinspiration]

Oh god amazing advice! Ordering the plastic pots thank you so much!

[GingerKitCat]

Aldi had the easy fill hanging baskets (£2.99) in at the end of March so they might still be on the shelves if you have one nearby:

here

[sunnyhills]

I was hoping more people would post as I'm not experienced but if your petunias became leggy I,m wondering why .

Perhaps others can say but maybe not enough light ? Or something about the compost they are in ,too rich ? I've googled leggy plants and don't quite understand it ,soory

I plant pots and use geraniums both the ivy leaf trailing ones and the upright ones ( they like it on the dry side ) and lobellia .

This below is from Alan Titmarsh
Use a peat-free, multipurpose or potting compost, roughly half-filling your container and mixing in some slow-release feed granules. You could also add some water-retaining granules.

Reconstitute these into a thick paste, then stir into the compost to assist moisture retention in hot, dry weather. This is particularly helpful for hanging baskets

Don’t economise on plants – buy enough to fill each container completely,.

remove the pots by upturning each plant and gently tapping the rim of its pot on a hard surface so the root ball slides out into your hand. Stand the root balls in place, so they’re touching, and turn plants round so their best side faces outwards.

Fill the gaps between plants with more compost, then spread a little more over the surface of the root balls so they are buried (but only just). When you’ve finished, the surface of the compost should be about an inch below the rim of the container, to allow room for watering.

the surface of the compost should be about an inch below the rim of the container, to allow room for watering I've often not managed to achieve this ,what with cramming plants in as recommended but it's really important as otherwise the water just runs off when you water .

Then water well to settle the compost round the roots


Care
Every day

Check to see if containers need watering; do the “finger test” and water if the compost starts to feel dry. Newly planted containers won’t need a lot of watering but by early July, they will be full of roots so anticipate extra watering. The height of summer hot weather often means containers need watering once or even twice a day.

Every week

Pick containers over, remove dead flowers and dead or yellow leaves.

Feed once a week with liquid tomato feed, diluted to half the usual strength, from July onwards. A packed tub will be ready for a top-up by then. If you didn’t use slow-release feed, you’ll need to liquid feed at every other watering, from mid June.

[JT05]

I always put a circle of plastic, like a soup bowl size, at the bottom of my hanging baskets. I find this works better than the gel. I use hanging basket compost with food granules.
In my baskets I put as much as possible, geraniums, lobelia, trailing fusia and small multi flowering plants which are readily available after April.
I also look out for the reduced bedding plants in multi packs and add those.
They do need dead heading and regular watering, sometimes twice a day.

[GingerKitCat]

Make sure you're using trailing petunias. I find the upright ones do have a tendency to go leggy in hanging baskets.

[Mermaidinthesea123]

I love geranium illumination, they are very free flowering, will grow in sun or shade and are absolutely bibrant in colour - orange ones are the ones I like most. They fill the basket and have a lovely trailing habit.
I've grown them under trees before and they have been amazing.

[JT05]

Those look like Begonias to me!
A really good choice for hanging basket as they don't mind a bit of dry.

[Ulysses]

I recently saw a nappy being used in one on Pinterest to hold more water.

[Mermaidinthesea123]

JT05 yes they are begonias....middle aged brain strikes again :-)

[nonameinspiration]

Loving the nappy! I see where I went wrong about water retention. Going away on Monday for a week so thinking it's daft to start them before I get back.
I love begonias I might try them. Will post an update!!

[JT05]

I also love begonias, they are the summer plant that just keeps on giving! The little non stop ones are so easy, they just look after themselves.
I have some that are at least 10 years old, I leave them in the pots and overwinter the dormant corms in the garage.

[nonameinspiration]

I have I ordered the plastic baskets linked above. Love Morris

[nonameinspiration]

Morrisons plants but not sure they had begonias.