Create a glorious display with Heavenly hanging baskets

Planting a basket (or two) is a colourful way to take you from spring into summer – and beyond. Choose long-flowerers and combine them creatively, says Hazel Sillver

- Hazel Sillver

PLANTING up a hanging basket is an easy, enjoyable job for a spring day. In a few weeks’ time it will transform into a boule of tumbling foliage and flowers, and then remain a mass of cheering colour throughout summer.

Many garden centres still sell the same plants that we were using to fill hanging baskets in the 1970s and 1980s. And while there’s nothing to say you can’t use and enjoy those old favourites, there are lots of ways to make your basket look a bit more up-to-date.

Colourful baskets have plenty of kerb appeal and offer months of interest. Pelargoniums and fuchsias are floriferous choices; or, for something more adventurous, try Lotus berthelotii (inset)

Adding foliage plants such as compact carex, silver-leaved artemisia or purple sage, and incorporating flowers in striking colours like burgundy or orange are two simple updates. Single blooms are also good – they not only look more contemporary but will provide for wildlife, too. For example, instead of dense, fully double marigolds, go for single-flowered tagetes such as ‘Burning Embers’ or ‘Lemon Gem’.

You could also swap bog-standard pot ‘geraniums’ for different types of pelargonium, such as Angel, Unique or Scented-leaf forms. ‘Attar of Roses’ (pink), P. sidoides (maroon) and ‘Mystery’ (deep red) are all real gems.