A beautiful, colourful hanging basket makes a wonderful addition to you any outside area and they are particularly good for if you are short of space. Whether you choose a bright and bold combination or co-ordinated colours, we have some tips to help you to keep your basket looking its best throughout the summer.
What to should do to care for your hanging basket:
- Water your basket on a regular basis, this can be as often as twice a day in warm weather. This applies to both moss and solid sided plastic and wicker baskets. The best time to water is early in the morning or late evening. Make sure when watering, that the plants in the bottom of the basket are watered too. Remember it is virtually impossible to over water a moss basket, as any excess water will drain through the moss naturally. A good guide as to when to water is to feel the moss at the very bottom of the basket, it should always feel damp.
- Give a liquid feed once or twice per week, we suggest a feed high in potash i.e. Chempak No. 4 or any tomato fertiliser. If you have one of our Cowell's hanging baskets it won't need feeding until mid July as a slow release fertiliser has been added to the compost when planting.
- Remove dead flowers regularly, and also any damaged foliage.
- Make sure your hanging basket bracket is long enough, so that the basket, when hung, does not rub on the wall or fence.
- Spray your basket with a control product if you discover Greenfly or Black fly on the plants. Remember not to spray in bright sunshine, as scorching of foliage could occur.
- Take your basket down if going away on holiday or even for the weekend. We suggest you stand it on a bucket or large plant pot, water well, place it in a shaded spot, and get someone to water it daily.
What you should not do to care for your hanging basket:
- Hang your basket too high. When hanging, the top of the baskets should ideally be no more than 6 feet from the ground. At this height it will also be easier to water, feed and remove any dead flowers.
- Leave your basket hanging up in windy weather. If strong winds are forecast, do as for holidays, and stand basket in a sheltered and shady spot.
Our friendly team are always on hand to help you choose and care for your hanging baskets!
