Help I've set myself a ridiculous gardening challenge

[hobbgoblin]

Right, I don't do gardening in any way. I like the idea of it and artistically could be great but technically am shite. And lazy and inpatient.

I've bet a friend that I can recreate hanging baskets to rival ones that they are getting made up at great cost and that I can do it at half the price (£30). They have reserved me two baskets with which to prove myself.

I based this bet on the distant memory of success of a window basket I made for my bedroom window when I was 12.

I don't have a greenhouse either so will have to plant late and egg the plants on to grow quick so the baskets look all voluptuous like the ones the garden place is making for my friend - in a greenhouse, like NOW.

Please help me. I can't lose.

£30 is loads! Cannot believe they are spending £60 on two hanging baskets... Go to your local garden centre. Buy two small fuschia plants (about £5 each), two small ivy pots (£2 each), and a 6 pack of trailing lobelia (about £3.99), and a six pack of either busy lizzies, or bellis (like fat pink daisies) (also about £3.99). Ask the garden centre about lining and filling the baskets if that has not been done for you. Then put both baskets in front of you, the way they will hang. Plant both the same - like this:

Imagine a clock face on it - Between the centre of the clock and 12 o'clock, plant the fuschia (ie slightly toward the back of the basket), now take the ivy pots and split them, tear apart the root ball and you will have two smaller ivies for each basket. Plant the ivies at 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock. Plant lobelia at 5, 7 and 12, and plant bussy lizziee or bellis at 6pm, 2pm and 10pm.

Voila!

impatient. I am not an in-patient anywhere currently.

Thank you wilbur. That is just what I need. I was thinking lots of lobelia too and maybe a bit of trailing variagated ivy.

What do I do about making sure they are BIG and bountiful without a greenhouse?

If you need to get your own compost, make sure you have one for tubs and containers as they will have good food in them. Also get some baby bio and feed baskets as per instructions on bottle. The plants you buy now should be ok to go straight outside (or are you in Scottish Highlands?) and you can always leave them in a sunny, sheltered spot on the ground so they get some good warm growing time before you hang them.

tesco are currently doing v. cheap trays of suitable stuff for your baskets. (petunia/lobelia/impatiens etc)

These are meant to give fabulous displays in baskets. All depends if you are happy to go the one variety way or not...
www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.562561