Hanging Baskets.

[carolann]

I went to the GC yesterday and noticed that they where making up their hanging baskets. When do you all make yours up please I have 2 to make and I'm not sure when to do it, I bought all the plants while I was there and I have them in the GH. I know that I wont be able to put them outside yet but does anyone think it would be OK to pot them up yet. The plants are not too big but not too small. I got a good bargin with some Lilac Trailing Lobelia, I bought 2 pots and have manages to slit them into 15 clumps, each pot was only 85p they should make a nice display when they are planted.

[Amo]

I don't do them any more, can't b bothered with the watering regeim (!), but when I did I used to make them up as soon as I had the ingredients and hang them in the greenhouse until I was ready to put them out. I don't think you can do any harm in starting them now.

[Missredhead]

mine have been out since before Christmas...

[Weeterrier]

I'm the same as Amo, don't do them anymore because of the constant watering. But start them now certainly. The plants will be easier to insert, and by the time it can go outside, it will be full and luscious. If something becomes too straggly before then, don't be afraid to give it a good haircut.

[andy]

At work, we plant ours up (1,500 of them !!!) late february by planting plugs in them. That way, the baskets are huge by the time it comes to putting them in the streets or selling them.

But at home, i always plant mine up when i plant the bedding out....last week may/first week June. I use bedding that i've grown and i really have to crucify the roots to squeeze them between the wires. They don't seem to mind the rough treatment though.

[carolann]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have posted some pics in my Winter Trial thread and posted a problem as well if any of you would care to look. Thanks once again for your help.

[Chuckles]

Planted up my first hanging basket yesterday ;D I'd bought some dwarf Sweetpeas, Jet Set and thought a few would be nice in a basket. The basket is a wire one which has four rods that go up to the bit that hangs to make like a lantern shaped affair. I've planted the SP's so they climb up the rods. Hope I've made sense, will post a pic when I get a mo

Will be doing baskets from plants I bought a while ago and from cuttings I've taken from these plants.....

gardenworld.proboards103.com/index.cgi?board=2008trials&action=display&thread=5191

also some from seed.......

gardenworld.proboards103.com/index.cgi?board=2008trials&action=display&thread=5221

Whats everyone else doing, be good to share some tips on here

[Deleted]

I'll be growing 2 baskets of yellow trailing begonias at the front and 1 basket of surfinias at the back of the house this year. ;D

For those of you who find watering baskets a thankless task, have a look at the following link to a thread I started sometime ago.

gardenworld.proboards103.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=4307

[snowowl]

Hi Carolann i have planted up 5 summer baskets this week they are all hanging in the GH.
I have done 3 for my sister the other 2 are mine.

[Weeterrier]

Just to join in, I might do one this year. I painted the wee porch of the house last summer, so a basket might be pretty. When I worked at the GC I was the hanging basket planter-upper. By the end of the season, I was near screaming.
Also my boss used to tell me to use up the plants that were a bit past their sell-by date, which I just couldn't do, so it was a bit stressful as well. Just to spite him, I used to use the newest delivery. ;D

[Ruthie]

I did mine several weeks ago and it's balanced on a bucket on th G/H floor. I haven't doen hanging baskets for some years for the reasons above but thought it'd be nice to have one this year. Only ivy leaved pelargoniums but my autumn cuttings wanted to be potted up so I thought I'd put 'em straight in a basket.
I wouldn't like to be the hanging basket planter uppper (although I guess there ARE worse jobs) 'cos I don't find it much fun!

[Deleted]

I've been thinking about doing mine (3) all this week. Last year I was a bit lazy and just put violas in them with a snapdragon as a centre piece. This year I want to play around a bit more. I love trailing begonias so am thinking of doing one with begonias in the main, and the other 2 with something else. I have dwarf daffodils in them at the moment and cyclamen.

I was thinking of putting a few sweetpea seeds in them as a bit of an experiment to see what would happen ...

I have also been thinking of having 2 sets of baskets - 1 set for autumn through to spring, and another for summer. That way I don't have to disturb the cyclamen and daffs - would love to know if anybody has done something similar or, alternatively, if this is a rubbish idea!

Thanks all.

[Deleted]

Each year I say I'm not going to bother but then the sun comes out and I just have to make some up. Not bothering with petunias this year as I've come to the conclusion they're just to much hassle trying to keep neat. Going to go for a combination of lobelia round the outside pushed through, with trailing geraniums and busy lizzies, and will be putting in some nasturtiums seeds as well. I'm not really reserved when it comes to colour. I tried doing 'hot' baskets last year, but wasn't that happy so it'll be a tacky, tasteless colour fest outside my house this year.

For those that are complaining about watering, I managed to pick up some baskets this year that have a reservoir in the bottom of them. I'll be using these for my hanging basket tomatoes this year tomatos this year. Cost me £5 each. There's a link here;

www.stewartcompany.co.uk/selfwatering_corinthian.php4

Can be bought online from here;

www.podington.co.uk/hanging-baskets/corinthian-hanging-basket.html

[Deleted]

... was mulling this over this morning and have decided to buy a second set of baskets. (might cheat and buy some from Homebase already made up! ooh the shame!) I thought I would then plant up the ones I have with some ivies and other evergreen stuff to hang up when the summer flowers have gone over.

Any suggestions on what little plants I could grow in an evergreen basket? All I can think of is ivy at the moment ... not feeling very inspired!

[Chuckles]

Just been looking at my hanging baskets and thinking they really are past thier best now especially with all the rotten weather we've had. I was just about to send them to compost heaven and wondered if it was worth giving them a good trim and maybe getting a little longer out of them. Not sure

Whats everyone elses like atm and what do you do when they look a bit tired

[Barbara]

mine are still nice, i used a few dwarf sweet peas this year they still look OK everything else is looking good i posted pics of those in the front garden last week in BARBARAS FRONT GARDEN thread

[Slugger]

Aug 15, 2008 11:12:50 GMT Chuckles said:

Just been looking at my hanging baskets and thinking they really are past thier best now especially with all the rotten weather we've had. I was just about to send them to compost heaven and wondered if it was worth giving them a good trim and maybe getting a little longer out of them. Not sure

Whats everyone elses like atm and what do you do when they look a bit tired

Been thinking the same thing myself. My white lobelia are looking very tired with quite a few brown heads, despite constantly watering!

[Missredhead]

Mine don't look too bad ATM....have been chopping back all summer as they were getting straggly.

[snowowl]

Mine are all past their best now after flowering away all summer.There are still flowers coming on my surfinia and i havent the heart to bin them yet.
I will give them a couple of weeks or so yet.

[Chuckles]

Mine were heading for the compost bin today and then I couldn't do it They have been trimmed to within an inch of thier life and given a good water and feed, they'll either put on a bit of new growth or not. If they don't then all I've waisted is about 30 mins work and some feed ;D No room in the compost bins yet anyway ;D

[beanie]

i took my hanging baskets down at the begining of the week, I had used water gel thinking of hot weather , well they were absolutely sodden. I've potted up the fuchsias and pelargoniums and put them into th greenhouse to see if they'll perk up. I'm considering window boxes for next year.