hanging basket help

[staris]

the wife has asked me to grow a nice hanging basket for the summer, she likes surfina and fuschias but i know absolutly nothing about flowers ,what i would like ideally is some kind of kit where you buy an assortment of plants, anyone any idea where i can get some...online maybe 

[Tee Gee]

Have a read of this then come back with your queries;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Containers%20-%20Baskets/Hanging%20baskets.htm

[sunloving]

Hi Staris
good luck with your hanging basket
have a think about perrenials into it to. I love to grow passion flowers in mine along with ivy as its in a relatively shady spot. I also oftern put old jumpers in them to line them and a saucer in the bottom and if you are planting greedy annuals then maybes some water retaining granules.

Also think about strawberries they go really well and the slugs cant reach em!

good luck
x sunloving

[Tee Gee]

and the slugs cant reach em!

Maybe not but snails can!

[Cherryblossom]

mOST OF THE SMALL FLOWER CATALOGUES DO AN ASSORTMENT READY FOR YOU TO PLANT  colour coordinated as well.    j parker plants google them much easier.   

[small]

I got a Suttons catalogue this week (www.suttons.co.uk) full of lovely ideas for baskets, including colour co-ordination.  I have used Suttons in the past and the plant quality is excellent - not all the companies are so good.  I'd rather praise the good than condemn the rest, so try Suttons!

[pigeonseed]

I liked the advice on Tee Gee's page about growing uprights further down, so they grow up and meet the trailing plants - I've never tried that so I'll give it a go this year.

In terms of buying in plants, it is a good idea sometimes, because some of the beautiful ones are quite fiddly to grow and the professionals do them cheaply. I buy lobelia and petunias. They're so easy to keep, have a long season and are cheap from B&Q and places like that.

I've had bad experiences with buying 'plug plants' online - when they arrived they were only seedlings. If you buy from B&Q or Homebase or a garden centre, you don't pay postage and you can see what you're getting.

Of course I'm not implying that Suttons or J Parker are not reliable - I've never bought plants from them.

[w00dy]

Id take the missus to a garden centre, so she can choose a variety herself, while you there you can buy a basket, compost, water retaining gell and anything else you need including a cuppa and a scone as most gardens centers have a cafe nowadays