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Hanging Baskets
Garden Tips Newsletter - April 19, 2001

Spring is here and the garden centers are overflowing with beautiful flowering plants. Instead of putting all those plants in the ground, consider making some hanging baskets with them. Hanging baskets are easy to put together and are quite lovely. There are two ways to put hanging baskets together; one is to start with small plugs and let the plants grow together -- this creates a more natural effect, the other is to use larger (4") plants --this creates an instant end result effect. Either way, start with a peat/perlite mix that provides good drainage. Baskets with different color flowers and different textures have a nice effect. Use plants with similar water (moist/dry) and sun (sun/shade) requirements in the same basket. Make sure you water your baskets as needed (those in the sun will dry out fast). Add a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20 to your baskets. Enjoy!

Some hanging basket planting suggestions:

Shade: Impatiens, variegated spider plants, variegated english ivy, ferns, angel-wing begonias

Sun: Scaevola, verbena, variegated helichrysum, geranium, petunia

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.