Mixed floral hanging containers have become the rage across the country, and thanks to the coconut liner, it is easy to jump on the basket bandwagon.
It wasn’t long ago that you only saw such beautiful displays when visiting mild-climate tourist areas, and now everyone can either buy them already made or be like Monet, and create a piece of floral art.
Large box-type stores and progressive independent garden centres alike all seem to have everything you need. One of the reasons it has become so easy to buy ready-made is that flower producers have started selling mixed species liners or “starts” for the grower. This means they were hand selected for colour scheme or compatibility with regard to habitat and light requirements.
For those of you who like the creative process, or want combinations that aren’t easily found, then the wire basket is the way to begin. This also applies to baskets that have a shape more like a window box and can be used as such. They are also easily attached to the railing of a deck.
The coconut liner holds potting soil and, of course, it drains with perfection. It is also a lot more durable than you think and easily replaced with another liner when it finally wears out.
I like to use really good potting soil that is light weight and contains slow-release fertilizer to give the plants a quick jump on growing. At the Columbus Botanical Garden, there have been wonderful baskets with geraniums, Swedish ivy and different colours of bacopa for about six weeks. This is a great way to grow geraniums but, surprisingly, the small-flowered bacopas have really stolen the show. The combination of pink ones with some lavender blue has really been eye-catching.
Planting level should be about three-fourths of an inch below the top of the moss. By all means, place a plant in the centre of the basket. You may wish to select one that will climb a hanging chain.
At home, I use baskets that are more like window boxes and attach to a deck railing. I used the same type of soil, but this time was even more aggressive in my plant combinations. I started in the centre and worked my way outward with the design. I planted a scarlet milkweed as the centre plant. It is flanked by large orange African marigolds, blue Wave petunias and creeping Jenny that will eventually tumble over the edge, providing a nice vertical element.
We have fern baskets that are great, but those packed with colour are the real attention grabbers.
So go wild with colour.
Norman Winter is executive director of the Columbus Botanical Garden in Georgia and author of Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.
