With planting areas prepared for summer bedding plants, this week we will focus on making those hanging baskets to be the envy of the neighbours.

The first thing to decide upon is what type of baskets you would like to have, planted properly you won’t see much of the basket if you choose the correct plants to trail over the basket therefore even the cheapest option will look good if planted properly.

Rattan baskets are a good option and come in various different designs and are very good at retaining moisture levels, plastic baskets are becoming more popular and again retain moisture and do not dry out too quickly.

The most traditional basket is the wire mesh basket and is a good cheap option available from most supermarkets now. The next step is to fit your basket with a suitable liner, these can be bought in form as a coir matting, biodegradable fibre lining, fibre pulp or if you were scarifying moss from the lawn this is a very good natural liner but must be enough to hold the compost in place.

It is a good idea to always add fresh compost in to the baskets and we would suggest choosing a compost with some moisture control pellets added to assist in retaining moisture throughout the summer.

It is also of benefit to add some slow release fertiliser granules at planting time to assist with the growth and flowering of your plants, the feeding of your baskets throughout the summer is what will keep your plants healthy, by adding in to the compost this allows the roots of the plants to uptake nutrients and then top up nutrients throughout while watering. Hanging baskets may have to be watered everyday especially during long dry spells and often we like to hang baskets in porches and areas that won’t receive too much rainfall therefore important baskets are not allowed to dry out.

As basket’s are suspended they not only suffer drying out from sunshine but often wind is enough to dry the compost especially on exposed sites therefore keep an eye on your basket and giving a good balanced feed two to three times weekly will keep your plants flowering all summer. Choosing the correct plants are important and choosing plants that will produce plenty of colourful flowers is what makes for an attractive hanger. Ideal plants for colour are begonias and geraniums with plants such as petunias and impatiens giving a real bushiness and slight trailing habit to the basket and trailing forms of lobelia and allysum can cover the basket fully by planting around the sides of the basket, being sure enough compost is added to the top of the liner before planting. African and French Marigolds bring splashes or yellow and orange colours and also make great pollinators. Aftercare is essential of your baskets making sure to pick any dead flowers allowing for new flowers to be produced and remember do not let your baskets dry out.