Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Making spring hanging baskets

Hanging baskets are a great way of maximising space on a small verandah or patio and provide opportunities for injecting a splash of colour around the house.

When planning what to plant in the basket, remember to include a few trailing plants to cascade over the sides. Examples of these are ivy (the variegated types look very pretty), trailing lobelia, nasturtiums and ivy leaf geraniums. Plant them around the edge of the basket so they don't take up too much room.

Spring flowering plants that grow well in baskets located in a sunny spot include alyssum, lobelia, pansies, primulas and bedding begonias. White flowers mixed with more intense colours give the baskets a lift.

Plants that will flower well in shade are restricted to impatiens hybrids, pansies and rex begonias but gaps can be filled with interesting foliage plants such as crotons and coleus providing they are small enough to be in scale with their neighbours.

It is better to put in too many plants than too few, as a sparsely planted basket looks unappealing. But certain plants (coleus, bedding and rex begonias, ivy and ivy-leaf geranium) can be trimmed back and recycled for use elsewhere in the garden after the basket has become overgrown, to offset the initial financial outlay.

Hanging baskets need lots of food and water to look beautiful, but with the wide range of good quality soluble fertilisers now available, these two jobs can be done at the same time to make life easier. Tip pruning the trailing plants occasionally will stimulate vigorous growth. The routine removal of dead foliage and leaves is important to keep the baskets looking attractive.

Pests and diseases are no more of a problem in baskets than they are elsewhere in the garden, and because they are contained any problems that do arise can be quarantined and cured immediately with the minimum of fuss.

Lismore Garden Club News

If you are a keen gardener and would like to meet a group of friendly, like-minded people, come to the next Lismore Garden Club meeting. It will be held on Thursday, August 5, at 1.30pm at the Lismore Workers Club. For information phone Mary on 6621 5293.

Sorry to have to remind you of yet another job that is due to be done in the yard. If you have any lawn at all you will almost certainly have the dreaded bindii. Now is the time to start spraying them. Use a specific bindii killer. "Bindie" or Bindii and clover killer are both good. Wait for the initial spraying to do its job and then do a follow up spray to get any that were missed the first time, then when summer comes pets, kids and you will be able to walk on that lovely cool green lawn without getting any nasty little surprises in your feet.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns