Garden Office Blog

Utilise Unused Space with Garden Hanging Baskets

Utilise Unused Space with Garden Hanging Baskets

By Andrew Tweddle on 28th November, 2011

If you’ve got a small or compact garden, with no space left to place any new plants, it would seem that you will either have to get rid of some of your existing plants, or simply forget about any new ones. Hanging baskets provide an innovative solution to this problem, as you can utilise space you didn’t think possible. Plus, as long as you select the plants carefully, you can have a hanging basket that will thrive at any time of the year.

The first task at hand is to select your hanging basket. The choices are varied, but a standard wire hanging basket is always a safe choice. There are many ready-made liners available for the basket, but a more environmentally-friendly way is to line it with moss from your garden, if you can find enough. Choose a long-lasting compost to fill the basket with.

If you’re creating a hanging basket for the summer, you should plant your flowers from April onwards. If the weather is favourable, you can place the basket anywhere in your garden, as long as it gets access to sunlight during at least some of the day. Some simple and easy-to-grow choices include pansies and geraniums.

On the other hand, if you’re creating a basket for winter, you should hang it in September. Plants that will survive in winter include winter-flowering heathers, ivy and ornamental sedge. Despite the hardwearing nature of these plants, you should still try to give them protection from wind and rain, as well as access to sunlight.

The plants will need watering regularly, even in winter, to get the best results. Check the baskets as regularly as possible to make sure they don’t dry out, but make sure you do not over water the plants. Soggy soil is a sign of overwatering. During the spring and summer months, you can occasionally apply a liquid fertiliser to help encourage better growth.

One excellent place to place your hanging basket is on the outside of a Decorated Shed garden office. Decorated Shed has excellent designs for even the most compact of gardens, so placing hanging baskets on your garden office will allow you to make the most of whatever space you do have available.


Category:  Garden Designs

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