Replacing plants in a hanging basket

[Mocker]

Hi all

I am completely useless at all things gardening but want to learn and will have a lovely garden - with your help please!

I bought some hanging baskets from Homebase in Spring with Violas in. They were lovely but are dying off now so I have bought some trailing Petunias (hope that is OK!) so I can change the plants.

Will I need to replace the compost in the pot? I only have rose, tree and shrub compost. Does that matter?

Please can someone advise me what to do?

Thanks

Hi, yes you will need to replace the compost, it dosent really have a very long life which is why it's best to give your plants some feed. I think I would be using multi purpose compost.

Sorry if you already know this but if you deadhead your flowers you will prolong the flowering period. I got some pansies in ?March, and still going strong.

Thanks. Oh bugger? Will they not thrive in the compost I have (hopeful...)?

Margot, yes I have been dead heading them but think they may have come to a natural end. The label on the basket said they flower until June. Does that relate to all flowers by the way?

It applies to the ones that say remove dead flowers to encourage repeat flowering . I am an amateur myself .

Use the compost you've got - for the small amount you'll need I really wouldn't worry, but give the basket some plant food too.

Wow - is that tomato feed . I've got some of that...

Very embarrassed that I have got to my age and don't know about hanging baskets!

Margot, very impressed

That'll do fine. I've got Miracle Gro powder as it was on special offer when I was looking for bits and pieces last weekend. You don't need to get too hung up on having special stuff for everything you grow.

My DF is a bit of a penny pincher and he buys grow bags to use the compost inside for tubs and baskets because it has added feed. You can often get them very cheaply.

Thanks Wow. My MIL usually does baskets etc for us and she just gets on with it and it is all done and tidied up in half an hour (with chatting!). It just all seems such a long and protracted job when I do it!

(If it is easy I am going to get lots of baskets from the pound shop and plant up LOADS. Any reason I shouldn't use baskets from there?)

I usually replace the soil, purely because the existing soil is full of roots.

I'm a shove-it-in and hope for the best sort of gardener, so no expert. I have a hanging basket with petunias in as well. I put the trialling ones around the edge. And a couple of non- trailing ones ( not sure technical name for this) in the middle, to,give the basket some height. If you haven't got any straight away, you could always plant the trialling ones first, and fill in the gaps later.

You're welcome Mocker. I would do some tubs as well as hanging baskets though - you can get containers cheaply from Wilkos, pound shops and supermarkets. Just make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom.

Put something in the middle for height then plant some smaller and trailing plants around that. I have a couple of containers either side of the front door with skimmias in the centre, trailing ivy and I change the other plants with the seasons. I've recently planted trailing geraniums and some verbenas in them. I plant them up as mirror images to 'frame' the doorway.

If you have containers as well you get colour from the ground upwards. If you have a wide windowsill you could put a trough on it and have a window box - lovely with flowers and add a couple of herbs as well. Just make sure it is securely in place.

I fill anything I can, old sinks ect. At onetime even a wheelbarrow, you can't beat having flowers all over the place. At one time I had 4 greenhouses and used to sell all summer bedding plants and hanging baskets, now I only have two and don't sell anymore. It was hard work. As previous poster said. Upright plants in the middle and trailing plants round the edges. You will have lovely pots.

Thanks Wow and Mummy. I am suitably inspired! Off to have a go....