How We Make Hanging Baskets On The Nursery

Here we make a hanging basket from scratch, showing each stage, with a little explanation about some of the plants and why we choose them.

These baskets flower from mid-May until the first frost of the year, around the end of October in the UK. The "secret" to getting and keeping them large and healthy is lots of water and lots of food. We use an automated watering system on a timer to make sure they always have enough to drink, and never rely on the rain to water them enough! Later in the season, if the foliage starts to yellow slightly, we apply a foliar feed in the form of soluble Miracle Gro. Deadheading the flowers, including the seed pods where you can will prolong the flowering period too. Got any tips? Please share.

With thanks to my mum who taught me how to make these in the late 80's :)

EDIT: Here are the type of plants we typically use in baskets like these.

Bottom Layer: Trailing Nepeta and Lysimachia Aureum (Creeping Jenny)

Middle layer: Lobelia Waterfall, trailing Verbena, trailing Nemesia, Brachyscome (Surdaisy), Scaevola,
Surfinia or trailing Petunia - Look for plants with a trailing or semi-trailing habit, you want a couple in the middle layer at least to be semi-trailing, and space them equally about the basket.

Top Layer: Central upright small fuchsia like Tom West or Tom Thumb, 2 X short stem geraniums and 3X trailing geraniums, trailing fushsias, we like the (Buds of May series), 4 x Surfinias, which are trailing petunias, 3 or 4 Calibrachoa, which are also known as Million Bells, maybe another Brachyscome, or a trailing begonia. The thing to do is aim for a central dome shape and trailing edges to get a nice full shape. Don't get too hung up on colours, just go for what you like :)