Suzy Parsons
Nothing quite says ‘hello’ like a big basket of flowers at the front door and creating a flowering display in a hanging basket is easy and rewarding. Here are the simple steps and tips to bring a punch of colour to your front porch.
Access your site
Is the final position of your basket full sun, part sun or shade? How much sun the area receives will determine what flowers you choose. Full sun (4-6 hours of direct sunlight) is great for petunias, pansies, lobelia, marigolds, snapdragons, alyssum and all those other sun loving flowers. If your position is more shaded but still very bright than you can try flowers like impatiens, begonias, cineraria, torenia, bacopa and polyanthus.
Flower and colour choice
This can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process and your choices are only limited by your taste and imagination. You might like your basket to be bursting with a rainbow of colour but just use one flower species or you may want a single coloured basket using different flowers to create interest and finally you might be all in, mixing up both colour and flower type.
Material selection
To create your flower basket, you are going to need a coir-lined, wire frame basket. Three to four punnets of flowers are enough for a 35-40cm basket but if you like things on a grander scale you might want to try six or seven punnets in a 50-60cm basket. Coir hanging baskets drain well and dry out easily so the potting mix should be the best you can buy. A standard mix is just not an option and an entry level premium mix is still probably not enough. The mix should have a high level of peat or coir and rewetting additives. On top of this you want to be adding in some water crystals.
Planting up
Now is the fun part. First cut several holes in the coir lining, evenly spaced around the basket about halfway up. This is where you are going to place your first plants. If you are using a large basket you may want to do two rows. Fill the basket with your super-duper premium mix up to these holes and then gently push a seedling through each hole. Once all the holes are full continue to fill the basket with mix to the top. In the top of the basket plant the rest of your seedlings, spacing them evenly. Finally add a little mulch and water in well with seaweed.
Ongoing maintenance
As your plants are growing it is a good idea to pinch them out a couple of times before you let them go to flower, doing this will make stronger plants and a bigger flower display. If your basket is in the sun all day, it may need to be watered daily but usually watering two to three times a week is sufficient. To keep everything growing and flowering well, fertilise with a good quality liquid feed fortnightly. Removing spent flowers and trimming leggy growth will keep your flower basket full of colour for many months.
So, why not get started on creating your own basket of colour and if you don’t have anywhere to hang a basket then create a pot of colour instead. Drop into Sauers Produce in Gympie or Cooroy to get all the materials and advice that you need to bring some flowers to your front door.