Nothing adds instant colour like a well-planted basket. Here's how to build one that's lush and flowers all summer.
Created by jflgardens.co.uk
Hanging baskets and patio pots give instant, portable colour exactly where you want it – by the door, on the wall, along a path. The secret to a basket that isn't disappointing by August is in how you plant and care for it from the start.
Use a proper basket liner and a good multi-purpose compost, ideally with a water-retaining gel and slow-release feed mixed in. Soak the liner first and choose a basket big enough to hold enough compost to keep plants moist between waterings.
A lush basket comes from planting it densely and in layers – a tall upright (like a geranium or a small spiller in the middle), mounding fillers (petunias, begonias, lobelia) and trailing spillers around the edge. Aim to cover the compost within a few weeks.
Hanging baskets dry out faster than almost anything else in the garden – in full sun and warm weather, they need watering daily, often twice. Check them morning and evening, and if the compost is fully dry, soak it thoroughly until water runs from the bottom.
Baskets are hungry. Feed with a high-potash liquid feed weekly through the season, and deadhead spent flowers regularly to keep them blooming rather than setting seed. A weekly tidy keeps a basket looking fresh right through to autumn.
From planting & borders to a full planting-style overhaul, the JFL Gardens team works across Surrey and London.
