SUMMER BASKETS AND CONTAINERS

What a change! The weather we have all been waiting for. Like many gardeners I had been putting off making decisions about what to put in my hanging baskets and containers for the summer. After last year’s disappointment with Busy Lizzies (Impatiens), a plant that I had always used because I found it so easy to look after, what to use instead? With the promise of hot weather combined with a hosepipe ban tender geraniums seemed to be one solution. They cope with heat and a certain amount of dryness. I bought two different but complementary colours, deep pink and violet, and this weekend I planted them out into a stone sink and a ceramic pot – they already look very much at home. For my hanging baskets I decided to echo the same colours with double petunias and trailing lobelia. Plants in any kind of container are totally dependant on us for all their needs. I used a multi-purpose compost and this already contains a certain amount of plant food but it will soon be used up. You can either incorporate a slow release fertiliser in the compost when planting or after two or three weeks regularly treat the containers with a weak solution of tomato food when watering. Watering, of course, is the magic word and this needs to be done at least once a day (twice in really hot weather) early morning and late evening. The other essential is dead-heading. Your plants just want to make seed and then their job is done, by frequent dead-heading you should encourage them to flower profusely throughout the summer months.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here