Glorious in their prime, but increasingly ragged and untidy in late summer, managing the latter stages of hanging baskets can be a challenge. Here are three possible solutions.
Remove and replenish
If your basket is large, not overly rootbound and you think there’s still plenty of life in some of the plants, take down your basket, carefully tease out the roots and remove the finished plants, then replace them with late blooming specimens. The soil will now be stripped of nutrients, so you’ll need to feed the remaining plants and make sure that spaces are filled with new, well-watered potting compost.
Replant in a border
Sometimes, plants in a hanging basket have simply run out of soil, and the roots have nowhere to go. If you have a clear spot in your border where you’ve cleared early flowering bedding plants, remove the ‘ball’ of plants from your basket and plant them in the border, making sure the hole is nice and deep, the surrounding soil is well loosened and any ailing specimens are removed.
Replace where necessary
Smaller baskets or baskets that were planted early have a lifespan, and nothing you do will prevent them from looking untidy. In this case, it may well be time to call it a day. Take the baskets down and replace them with something smaller and simpler – perhaps a single-variety basket of late-flowering pansies, violas or cyclamen. A small healthy display is better than a larger one that is well past its best.
If the vista from your Norfolk Leisure LIFE garden furniture is being spoiled by messy, unattractive baskets that have had their day, it’s time to replenish, replace or replant to restore your view.
