by Irini Kotroni

Created on: April 14, 2010

I have been on yet another foray to the local garden center and my car resembles a mobile window box.  It is tempting to leave this array of colors in the car; they smell heavenly and look wonderful. Nevertheless, it is ‘build flowering hanging basket’ time.  

The plants are carefully transferred from car to the potting table.  The necessary equipment I have to hand is: a large plant pot, baskets, liners, bucket of water, wooden spoon, metal spoon, potting compost, slow release fertilizer, sharp scissors or knife, a small old saucepan with handle, shards of broken crocks, newspaper and of course the plants.  

Some of the above may not be the traditional gardening tools but they are extremely useful.  

Arrange the plants on the potting table in the formation wanted in the basket.  If the effect doesn’t please the eye, have fun and rearrange them.  It is much easier at this stage to change them; if it’s done when they are in the basket, soil gets spilled and the plants are handled far too much; delicate tendrils may break off.  Remember they are baby plants and need TLC (Tender Loving Care).  

METHOD

1.   Take a large plant pot and sit the basket in it to create a stable base for the planting.  This enables easy turning to view each stage of planting and also helps prevent the trailing plants from snapping off as you plant.  

2.    Place liner in basket.  The traditional method of lining has been sphagnum moss of which there used to be plenty around but nowadays there are many alternative liners so it is ‘greener’ to opt for a liner that doesn’t put our environment at risk.  

Look around the house to see if there are any old pieces of thin matting or use old potting compost bags cut into circles; I often use the latter but my preference, budget permitting, is the pre-formed coconut coir liners.  They are long-lasting, reusable and can retain moisture for a longer period.  They are a good investment.  

3.    Once the lining is in place, use the scissors or knife to make holes in the lining, not too large and not too small.  These are for 'poking' through the trailing plants.  Scrunch up small amounts of newspaper into loose balls, place in bottom of basket, then over them, evenly spread small pieces of broken crockery (helps retain moisture). Take the small saucepan and use it to scoop the potting compost

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