The versatility of hanging baskets

Hanging baskets, wall troughs and manger baskets can be used in so many ways to enhance walls, fences and garden structures. With regular but fairly minimal maintenance during the spring and summer, they can bring beauty and interest to anywhere you can fix a bracket.

Winter baskets are limited to violas, pansies and primroses but can be enhanced with multi-coloured trailing ivy, goldcrest conifers and heathers. Spring bulbs such as tete-a-tete narcissi will bring a burst of colour when other plants are fading.

Summer baskets bring endless possibilities. Start with a basic metal frame and line with coir or moss. Alternatively, use a willow or wicker basket which will need no extra lining. Use a moisture-retentive compost or mix some gel crystals with a multi-purpose compost, together with long-lasting feed granules.

Start planting with a centrepiece such as an upright geranium, fuchsia or osteospermum. Most importantly, the beauty of a basket is in the trails, especially if they are situated way above head height. So around the edge try trailing lobelia, bacopa, sanvitalia or calibrachoa. Variegated nepeta with give you the longest of all vertical trails, golden lysimachia the brightest, and dichondra silver falls the closest resemblance to a cascading waterfall – stunning. Fill in the middle of the basket with low upright bedding such as petunia and verbena. Busy lizzie are also a quick and colourful filler and will be successful in shady areas, unlike most other bedding plants. For total shade, a basket of mixed ferns will thrive and provide an interesting alternative to the traditional colourful basket.

Other variations to consider are baskets of mixed herbs, strawberries or trailing tomatoes. Deliciously different!

David Hogg

Buckland Nurseries