Hanging Baskets!

By Jos Van Hage

    Outdoor hanging baskets are a quick and effective way to add summer color  to the house and surrounding landscape. They are ideal for balconies,  patios, entranceways or any other area where you want instant color. You  can buy them already made or you can make them up yourself. By making them  yourself you can choose the plants you like and the color combination that  suits you.

The first thing you need is a container that is able to be  placed on a hook. There are many different styles of hanging baskets made  from different products. You can choose from plastic, wood, coconut, or  moss baskets. It is best if they have good drainage, so if they don’t have  drainage holes then add a layer of small rocks to the bottom of the pot  before adding the soil.

Containers should be large so that they do not dry  out quickly and plants will have enough room to grow. Minimum size should  be no smaller than 12-14 inches across.

The next thing you will need is  potting soil. This is a very important element in a healthy container as  this is what will sustain the plants for the duration of the summer.  Choose a high quality potting soil that has good drainage but will not dry  out too quickly. I always like to mix a small handful of 14-14-14 slow  release fertilizer to the soil so that the plants will be continuously fed  throughout the summer.

 The next step in planting a hanging basket is choosing your plants. There  are many different varieties of plants that are specific for container  growing. The ’Proven Winners’ and ’Tried and True’ lines of plants are  ideal for container growing, and every year they keep adding new varieties  and colors.

You can plant a container that has just one variety of plants  or you can plant a mixed hanging basket. How many plants to put in the  container depends on the size of the container as well as the type of  plant. For example if you want to plant only supertunias in a 12 inch  container you would need 4-5 plants to one container, placing one in the  middle and the other 3-4 around the edges.

Mixed containers are fun as you  can choose a few plants. Read the plant labels so that you know the growth  habit of the plant so that you know where to place it in the container.  Plants that grow upright such as a geranium should be placed in the center  and plants with a semi-upright growth habit are placed between the  geranium and the outside edge and the plants that trail are placed on the  outside edge.

You want to balance your container so that you have a  uniform shape. Also when choosing plants you have to know where your  hanging basket will be growing. If it is in full sun choose sun loving  plants and if it is in a shade spot, choose shade loving plants. Plant  tags should have all this information on them.

You can start your hanging baskets now if you have a place to put them,  away from frost. A greenhouse or a sunroom would be ideal. You don’t want  them to go outside until all risk of frost has passed, so usually towards  the middle to the end of May.

If you are starting them now fertilize  weekly with 20-20-20 for the first 2-3 weeks and then switch to 15-30-15.

For healthy plant growth during the summer you need to water your hanging  basket every day and fertilize with 15-30-15 every week. Also removing any  damaged leaves and finished flowers will keep plants healthy and full of  bloom. Many varieties of flowers will produce seeds if the finished  flowers are not removed which takes away important energy from the plant  that could be used in the production of flowers.

A well cared for hanging  basket can be beautiful for the summer months into September until it gets  killed by frost.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates  two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highway 16 west at Kimball Road ( across from the Bon Voyage Plaza)
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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