he first hanging baskets of summer will soon be swinging in the breeze, or perhaps in a gale so volatile is the weather at this time of the year.>

It's British Summer Basket Time

The first hanging baskets of summer will soon be swinging in the breeze, or perhaps in a gale so volatile is the weather at this time of the year. British Summer Time may be here according to the calendar, but the wise gardener won't be fooled by a few light nights and bright afternoons.

Summer as we know it is still some way off and we won't be sure of its arrival until all risk of night frost has gone. The long wait will give plenty of opportunity for preparations. Like filling the hanging baskets -but not actually hanging them.

Growing a good hanging basket is quite easy if you follow a few basic rules in preparing and maintaining them properly. Let's take it step by step. First, choose the right basket. This will be as big as possible for the space available and the bracket on which it will hang. The smaller the basket the quicker it will dry out and that may mean watering it twice a day.

This is without doubt the most important aspect of keeping a hanging basket. Exposed as it is to the air all over its surface, above ground and susceptible to the slightest breeze, it can dry out within hours of being watered. Soilless compost with a high content of peat or peat substitute is obviously desirable. You can also increase moisture retention by mixing in some of the water-storing granules and a layer of polythene, perhaps just covering the bottom of the basket, may also be beneficial.

Like most people, I like the look of a moss-lined basket but in recent years I have experimented by lining some baskets with strips of polythene inside the moss. The most effective combination of moisture retention and healthy drainage has been in baskets with a sheet of polythene covering the bottom but punctured with a number of small holes to prevent waterlogging.

Now you can think about the plants to put inside the basket. The traditional choices include geraniums, fuchsias, petunias, pansies, nasturtiums, lobelia, alyssum, begonias, busy lizzies, coleus, campanula and no doubt most basket owners will add to that list. The reason why such plants are popular is that they have what I call staying power with flowers or attractive foliage which will last throughout the summer and early autumn.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.