Melissa King shares some great ideas for hanging baskets.

 

This season why not create a hanging ball of colour to decorate your patio and outdoor entertaining areas!
Top Plant Varieties for Hanging Baskets
Shock Wave Petunias

• Come in a spectacular range of colours like bright pink, purple, red and white.
• Unique mounded spreading habit up to 80 cm across
• Ideal for small spaces or as a feature in hanging baskets and pots.
• Provide gorgeous colour from late spring right through to late summer.



Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ 

• A perennial creeper with striking silvery foliage
• It has a true cascading habit that makes it particularly useful for hanging baskets. It may even be used as a lawn substitute.
• Enjoys full sun to light shade and tolerates periods of dryness.
• Use it in garden beds, rockeries, embankments, hanging baskets, window boxes, patio pots or as a filler between pavers. It also makes a good lawn substitute.

Ivy Geraniums 

• A perennial with a delightful spreading habit and attractive ivy like foliage.
• A profusion of flowers are produced over summer.
• Tolerates hot, dry conditions once established. Requires little ongoing maintenance to stay looking its best.
• Prefers a full sun position
• Makes a superb hanging basket specimen or use as a groundcover in garden beds, will cascade over rocks and retaining walls.

Tuberous Begonias

• A perennial with large showy flowers and foliage.
• Enjoys Part Shade. Protect from cold and frost.
• A mass of flowers during Spring, Summer and Autumn (varies with local conditions)
• Perfect in pots, hanging baskets and ferneries. In warm conditions can be planted out in the garden foreground

Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’

• An annual with a neat bush habit, dark foliage and bold deep blue flowers.
• Prefers full sun to semi shade
• Plant at any time of year
• Flowers all year round
• Create colourful borders and mass plantings or grow it in pots and hanging baskets.

TIP: Try planting strawberries, tumbling tomatoes and herbs in baskets for a hanging feast!
How to Plant Up a Hanging Basket
Step 1
Fill the container with moist potting mix to the bottom of the bottom row of openings.
Step 2
Insert your desired plants root ball first into the openings laying the root balls on the potting mix with 1cm of stem inside the container. If you are using plants with a root ball larger than 4cm then gently push the foliage through the opening from the inside of the container.
TIP: Plants like trailing Lobelia, Dichondra or Ivy Geraniums are perfect choices for the bottom rows because of their cascading habit.
Step 3
Add more moist potting mix to the bottom of the second row of openings and repeat step 5, patting down the potting mix and adding more if needed to reach the desired level. Repeat the process until all side openings are planted.
Step 4
Add more moist potting mix to within 4 cm from the top of the container.
Step 5
Plant the top out with colourful plants like Petunias or Tuberous Begonias for a mass of warm season colour.
Step 6
Give plants a thorough watering.
Tips for Hot Looking Hanging Baskets
• Remember to team plants together that enjoy similar growing conditions - sun lovers with sun lovers, shade lovers with shade lovers.
• Keep the water up during dry weather. Don’t forget to add water storing crystals to your potting mix and choose dry tolerant plants where possible.
• Give plants regular doses of Seasol Seaweed Solution to encourage stronger, healthier plants that are more tolerant of heat, drought and frost.
• Liquid feed your hanging baskets every 2-3 weeks to promote healthy growth and loads of flowers.
• Dead head plants regularly to promote more flowers and clean up any dead or yellowing leaves to keep your hanging baskets in tip top condition.