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Want to create hanging baskets like the pros? Do what the professionals do -- Invest in some wire container baskets, add Spanish moss and finish off your showpiece with a planting of annuals.
Before you know it, your hanging containers will look as if they've been transplanted from the pages of Sunset magazine.
Moss-lined baskets look like works of art, but they are easy to construct and the investment is small. You'll need wire baskets and moss along with the basics -- plants and soil mix. To ensure good growth and watering efficiency, a slow-release fertilizer and some water polymers crystals are recommended.
You will want to plant enough flowers give your baskets a filled look. Twenty to 30 small plants and 2 or 3 medium-sized ones will fill a typical 14-inch wire basket. This varies, however, depending upon the basket's depth, which can range from 8 to 12 inches. Baskets larger than 14 inches also are available.
You can line wire baskets either with Spanish moss or a sheet of coconut fiber, a tough but pliable material made from shredded coconut shells. Both are available at most local garden centers. Moss is sold either pre-packaged -- enough for one basket -- or in bulk. Moss offers a gray-green luxuriant appearance; the coconut material provides a similar fibrous look -- only in brown.
Because the moss you buy will be dry and somewhat brittle, it needs to be dipped in water before placing it around the sides of the basket. Once wet, the moss becomes pliable and much easier to handle.
If you are using a basket with a round bottom, keep it steady as you work by supporting it on a large pot or bucket. Begin by laying moss on the bottom and slightly up the sides of the basket. Poke little holes in the moss to provide spaces for planting the annuals. Work your way up the basket, layering moss, then slipping more plants in. If you use coconut fiber liners, you'll be dealing with a solid sheet. You will need to shape the sheet to the basket, and use a knife or other sharp object to punch planting holes through it as you go. To encourage the baskets to flourish and fill out more rapidly, use scissors to trim back leggy plants. Pruning not only encourages plants to branch out, it promotes growth. Your baskets will fill out again in no time with stronger, bushier foliage.
As you place the annuals around the basket, you might notice that their roots have grown together in a cluster. If so, separate them with your fingers. This will stimulate root growth and help the plants to establish quicker.
At this point, mix a slow-release fertilizer and water-retaining polymer crystals into the planting mix. This should be a soilless mixture especially formulated for container planting. These mixes are weed-free and often contain added nutrients to help plants grow. A peat mixture that contains perlite or vermiculite usually is a good choice.
Fertilizer is especially important when growing plants in wire baskets. Because the baskets are open-sided, a lot of the water will seep out. You will need to water them more often than you would solid-sided containers. All this watering leaches nutrients. Slow-release fertilizers will last a month to a month-and-a-half, providing plant nutrients for that period. Midway through the season, if you notice that plants aren't producing blooms, add a water-soluble fertilizer high in potassium.
Water-retaining polymer crystals help keep the baskets hydrated. These tiny crystals soak up water like a sponge, then release it slowly to the plants. Without the crystals, you would need to water even more frequently. A word of caution, however: Soak the crystals first -- for about 20 minutes -- then mix them into the soil. The crystals are tiny, about the size of a pinhead. When hydrated, however, they swell to approximately 3/8 of an inch in diameter. If you just sprinkle dry polymers into the soil, they will expand when watered, swelling the soil well beyond the basket's capacity. If, however, you prefer to work with dry granules, leave 15 to 20 percent swelling room in the baskets.
Now you are ready to add the planting mix. Gently fill the container, taking care to spread the roots as you cover them. With the soil in place, finish off the basket by planting annuals across the top. By positioning 1 or 2 taller plants in the middle, you'll achieve a sense of height at the center to accent the cascades of flowers growing from the basket's side.
You might see some moss baskets at garden centers that are pre-planted only across the top. This is an option, although the effect of cascading flowers will be less than if plants are allowed to grow from the basket's sides.
When hanging the baskets, consider a north or an east-facing location, where they will get less sun. Although sunshine encourages bloom, if the baskets are placed in a south or west location, they will dry out quickly. Unless you want to water the baskets twice a day, place them in a somewhat more sheltered site.
What type of annuals can you plant in moss or coconut-fiber-lined baskets? Here are the possibilities:
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Flowers for shade:
Wax begonias, browalia, trailing fushia, hypoestes (polka-dot plant), impatiens, lobelia (both upright and trailing), pansies and violas.
- Foliage for shade:
Lysmacia, various ivies, vinca vine, and wandering Jew.
- Flowers for morning sun:
Alyssum, bacopa, browallia, dahlberg daisy, diashia, geranium, ivy, lantana, nasturium, nierembergia, petunia, portulaca (moss rose), scaevola, thunbergia (black eyed Susan vine), and verbena (trailing).
- Foliage for sun:
Helichrysum, lamium (white Nancy), sweet potato vine, Swedish ivy, thyme, vinca vine.
For more information on Gardening, contact your
local Colorado State University Extension office.
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