Gardens
The Garden Enclosure Jottings
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alling all basket cases – it’s time once again for a suspended masterpiece, a summer stunner, a blooming marvel, a hanging basket to beat all others – come on, rise to the challenge, make the best for your home in 2021! Hanging baskets can look wonderfully impressive, yet they’re very easy to create. Start by choosing your basket type, big is better as it’ll give your display greater impact and the contents won’t dry out so quickly. If it’s a wrought iron or wire basket you’ll need a liner to fit inside, such as a pre-formed coir liner, then line inside this with polythene. Generally, woven or rattan baskets have the polythene pre-fitted. Punch small holes through the plastic all around the sides about an inch (3cm) up from the bottom to create a small water reservoir at the base. Fill your basket to three-quarters full with a good quality multi-purpose compost, incorporating water-retaining crystals and a slow-release plant food as you go. Now to the exciting bit, the plants! Pack in as many as you can, lots of choices, select for either sun or shade, lots of colours, lots of textures. It’s up to you whether you follow a set colour scheme or go for a random mix, there are no rules. Use upright plants in the centre and trailing varieties around the sides to create a full and flowing display as the plants fill out. Handle your plants with care, start at one edge and work across the container, lightly feeding in more
compost to cover the roots as you go. Once planted, gently firm the contents down and water well, the soil should be flat or slightly sunken towards the middle to aid watering. Basket plants are very susceptible to cold and a late frost will severely set them back, so keep them protected, especially at night, until all fear of frost has passed and the plants are established. Ongoing care is straightforward and watering is key. Baskets can lose water very quickly, especially if they’re in particularly sunny or windy positions, but they must never be allowed to dry out, so check them every day, without fail! Always water thoroughly, any excess will drain away through the punched holes, you can add a weekly liquid feed after about 6 to 8 weeks. Dead-head faded flowers regularly to encourage more blooms to develop for a long-lasting show. It’s simple really, the possibilities are huge, you don’t even have to stick to flowers, you could try herbs, tumbling tomatoes, strawberries, or even salad leaves, or just go for colourful foliage. Once you’ve got the aerial display sorted you can start moving downwards, filling window boxes, troughs, pots, containers, and finally your borders. So call in soon, we’ll have all you need to create a living artwork to decorate your home this summer!
Cheers Ken,
The Garden Enclosure, Banham - blooming marvellous!
INDEPENDENT GARDEN CENTRE & GIFT SHOP 01953 888043 www.gardenenclosure.co.uk Inspiring plant selections, plant sourcing & garden advice, O thr pen gardening & floristry sundries, timber products, stones & gravels, o Ban ugho ut wild bird & pet supplies, gifts & greetings cards, preserves… & more! kH
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oli ken day ds!
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