The final weekend of May is the traditional planting weekend for a lot of people. Shops are full of eye-catching annuals, lush hanging baskets and perennials aplenty.
People always ask about my garden and truthfully, it is a garden of texture, leaf colour and shape. I don't have a single annual yet, but there are lots of blooms. At the moment I am enjoying azalea flowers, scented choisya shrubs, alliums, enkianthus, columbines, tiarella, geums, euphorbia and a sea of trollius in my shady bed. May is good to gardeners.
There are lots of people with limited space and who want to enjoy summer blooms. Hanging baskets are a popular choice. If you are going to make the investment of a basket full of summer-blooming goodies, it is important to stay on top of watering and feeding your hanging garden for the duration of the growing season.
Think about the composition of your basket. A hanging basket is a large number of plants, in a small amount of soil, hanging in the wind and sun, competing for water and nutrients. These beauties need your help.
If you have found a remarkable deal on an eight- to 10-inch basket, my first piece of advice would be to plant it in a larger container. Small baskets simply don't thrive throughout the growing season. The more soil your plants have to grow in equals greater success. And use a rich soil that includes some type of growing medium that helps to conserve water.
Speaking of water, your hanging basket needs regular watering. If you plan to go away for more than a couple of days, enlist the help of a friend or set up a drip irrigation system with a timer. The best time to water your basket is in the morning. It gives the foliage time to dry out during the day and prevents fungus and mould that may grow on plants in a concentrated space.
The tip to regular irrigation is to let the basket dry out between waterings. Feel the basket from underneath, and if it is heavy and wet, wait until it is lighter and dry to next water.
Your next step to basket success is feeding. All those plants are crammed into a small space and they require a ton of nutrients to bloom for the duration of the summer. There are liquid fertilizers you can mix with water, granular fertilizers and pelleted, slow-release fertilizers that don't need to be applied as frequently but do need to be used all summer.
Follow these simple steps for a beautiful, lush hanging garden all summer long. Happy growing.
