Should You Be Looking For Good Trailing Plants To Fill Summer Baskets There Are Some Fabulous Colours Available This Season
What Should I Put In My Hanging Basket?
I like to put a tall geranium in the center of a basket. I then surround the rim with exciting trailers. I almost always include Verbena as one of my trailers. It is so reliable and provides a mass of flowers. There are so many great colours. If pinks purples, mauves and silvers are your choice of colours that will blend beautifully.
Plant a rich purple Calibrachoa to really bring out the subtle tones. These are dainty trailing petunias An alternative the to the large headed Sufinias we all know and adore with a trailing habit of about 60cm. Calibrachoa have a profusion of little flowers but are extremely prolific. I find a little bit of white is a relief amongst lots of colour, a hightlight perhaps that draws your eyes attention. You can not go wrong with Bacopa Snowflake. Its has an abundance of dainty white flowers which trail like a magnificent wedding veil. There is nothing better to compliment a Bacopa then good old Nepeta. Its variegated silver foliage simply pours from the basket like a magnificent water fall. One more trailer will probably be suffice in a 12” basket. Perhaps a trailing Geranium to match the center piece geranium.
A Brachycome Blue daisy flower would look lovely . They are a little bit different, providing lots of tubular flowers a little similar to the shape of a fox glove. Any little gaps can be filled with bedding Petunia, Bizzy Lizzies or upright Lobelia.
Plant this basket using a rich basket compost. They are very greedy plants. Anything that grows so vigorously is going to be extremely hungry and thirsty. Feed well. Either feed a very week feed daily as you water or once a week with the usual Phostrogen or Miracle grow.
Often in the bright south facing aspects of our garden bright Caribbean colours work really well. Where it is not quite so hot, soft shades can often look brighter and the hot colours a little gaudy. It is worth perhaps considering this when choosing the colours for baskets and pots.
In shadier positions try Regal Pelargoniums, Fuchsias and Bissie Lizzies as they can look very showy.
In hot places geraniums are always great. alternatively Begonias with their huge rose heads of primary colours are quite happy to dry out prior to watering.
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| Harmonized colours are very calming |
By the front door it is wonderful to plant Sweet Scented Pelargoniums in pots.
The lemon orange and rose fragrances can really lift your spirits. Alternatively plant some tall spired of creamy Nicotiana Sylvstris in the border. This is renowned for its beautiful evening fragrance.
More Help With Summer Planting On This Gardening Blog
For help with choosing colours
For help with how to actually plant a basket
Plant ideas for pots and baskets
