Pansies and violas are ideal plants for vibrant hanging plants. These two plants are frequently used as filler plants in beds or containers because they are two of the simplest plants to grow. However, their eye-catching blossoms may stand out on their own, which makes them excellent basket plants.
Similar to violas, pansies like direct sunlight and can withstand some shade. Their flowers must be the key factor in their differences. Pansies have larger flowers, while violas have many more of them. Their hues, which range from blue to purple to even white and cream, are very similar.
Plant these annuals (or short-lived perennials) in compost-enriched potting soil, and water them frequently to get the most out of them. They require fertilizer at least once every four weeks because they are hungry plants. The most blossoms are ensured by a balanced fertilizer, and if you want even more bursts of vibrant flowers, choose a low nitrogen blend.
Also edible are violas and pansies. You’ll be able to add warm summer hues to your hanging baskets as well as delectable winter fare.
Can indoor plants endure the winter?
The following temperatures will harm plants in hanging baskets, according to Wikipedia: Frosty conditions: 0 to 3.5 C (32.0 to 25.7 F) 3.6 to 6.5 C for mild frost (25.6 to 20.3 F) Frosty conditions: 6.6 to 11.5 C (20.2 to 11.3 F)
In the winter, what can you grow in hanging baskets?
You might think it’s unusual to talk about hanging baskets towards the end of the summer. However, winter bedding adds color and a little happiness to everyone’s lives during a gloomy season, and hanging baskets are more common outside doors than garden containers. What therefore must you learn and do in order to establish a hanging basket that will last you through the winter and spring?
A basket and liner
Wicker ones are frequently offered for sale and are fairly attractive. You may also try a metal frame that has been lined with moss or a hanging basket liner so you can put trailing plants through it and have them grow all over the basket rather than just in the top.
Your liner and a piece of polythene, like an old carrier bag with holes punched in it, should be used to line the basket. This will increase water retention without causing the basket to become flooded.
Compost or growing medium
Although a loam-based compost (like John Innes) won’t dry up as soon, multipurpose compost is excellent for hanging baskets. Compost can be purchased from suppliers in both little and large quantities. Add some water-retention crystals and a slow-release plant fertilizer to the compost, and thoroughly mix them in.
Suitable plants
Plants like pansies, violas, thymes, ivies, small cyclamen, and primroses are appropriate for winter hanging baskets. You can also underplant with crocus, dwarf iris, or Tete-a-Tete daffodils. Include some trailing plants so that they can grow from the sides or flow over the basket’s edges. Even if the violas and pansies are having a hard time surviving the winter, the evergreen thymes and ivies add color, and as soon as the sun comes out, the spring flowers break forth.
Planting up your basket
Avoid overfilling your hanging basket because the plants require room for soil to thrive. It’s sufficient to place four or five plants at the top of a wicker basket and five to ten bulbs underneath. If there are any more, your plants will suffer. Of course, you can add more plants if your basket is larger.
Caring for your basket
Even in the dead of winter, you might need to water a hanging basket, especially if it’s on a porch where it will get some protection, or possibly a climber by the entrance. Although you generally won’t need to water every day, it would be best to do so at least once every week. Your winter hanging basket might last well into the following summer with a little bit of care and attention if you remember to remove dead flowerheads to promote longer blossoming as well.
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How should hanging plants be cared for during the winter?
DEDE Q. PENMANS: I regularly read your column. How should I care for the perennials in my hanging baskets? I have hundreds of dollars invested in these baskets. Should I remove them out of the baskets, store them in containers, take care of them throughout the winter, and then replant them in new soil in the spring, or should I just leave them alone till spring? Fuchsias, tuberous begonias, Jacob’s ladder, weeping hydrangea, euphorbia, million bells, lysmachias, sutera, Goldilocks, nemesia, helichrysum, gaura, cordyline, hypericum, and heuchera are a few examples of the various perennials that were planted.
You have such a wide range of plants, wow! The plants in the same hanging basket should have similar cultural requirements, such as water, sun/shade exposure, and frost tolerance, if you have chosen to combine them.
Yes, maintaining a variety of plants in good condition from season to season without periodically changing some and introducing new examples is difficult. By the end of the fall, the soil in the baskets will be densely covered in roots from the spring and summer plantings, making it more challenging to maintain the beauty and health of the closely spaced examples. Due to root competition, plants will dry out more quickly, necessitating regular irrigation. A regular fertilization regimen is essential.
With proper trimming, watering, and feeding, fuchsias can stay in the same pot for a few seasons. The best-looking begonias should be taken out, stored in a dry, dark spot, and then replanted. They are sensitive to cold weather, especially if exposed hanging baskets are left in place.
Adding some seasonal color to baskets that contain deciduous perennials like hydrangeas and fuchsia may be necessary for overwintering. Heuchera can continue to stand out because to its vibrant foliage. The baskets may need to be moved under eaves during colder weather or covered with frost fabric for protection.
To address your question, I would advise removing any healthy plants that are starting to look a little run-down, repotting them in gallons, and then replanting them in baskets with new soil in the early spring when the weather starts to warm up. Replanted hanging baskets that are shown year after year consistently have the nicest color.
Here are some additional pointers for making and maintaining healthy hanging baskets:
To keep soil from drying out, fill containers 6 to 24 inches high with high-quality potting medium. Sphagnum moss can also be used to line each basket to keep the soil from drying out.
Bulb mixes made without soil work great. The majority of bulbs left in hanging baskets do not survive the winter, so take them out and keep them indoors in net bags (except for tuberous begonias).
To keep the growing media moist, water baskets every other day. During windy and hot weather, certain baskets can need watering every day. Understand the specific water requirements for your plant. Sparingly water bulbs up until new growth appears.
Combine plants that demand the same amount of water, sunlight, shade, and fertilizer (acidic, all purpose or timed release).
Fuchsias and other basket plants that have not been replanted require some moisture over the winter. Don’t let the other baskets dry out; check them as well! Fertilize not when plants are dormant.
Brian C. queries: Describe Anisodontea sp. Strybing Beauty for me. It is the ideal plant, according to a neighbor of mine, for luring bees.
Your neighbor is entirely right. Along with many other creatures, bees are attracted to it in large numbers. It produces fig-shaped leaves and rich pink, hollyhock-like flowers that bloom continuously all year long. Bees and butterflies are all over the stunning heaps of blossoms.
The flowering shrub measures at least six feet by six feet in size. In ideal circumstances, it might even be taller. Heavy pruning will be required to keep Anisodontea at a lesser height. Just be aware that it does need space to expand and looks nice when planted toward the back of the garden, where the bees won’t be bothered.
It thrives in direct sunlight. It thrives in soil that drains well and receives applications of low to moderate water. Large volumes of compost should be applied to the shrub’s base as a side dressing; further fertilizer is not necessary.
Can hanging baskets be kept indoors during the winter?
The nighttime low during the winter months might be as low as one digit. Your plants probably won’t be able to endure these bitterly cold conditions, just like you probably won’t. Bring them inside at night to keep them comfortable and content. You can put them inside your front door or even in your garage. You should be alert throughout the day, not just in the evening. Maintaining your plants’ happiness and warmth also requires paying attention to daytime temperatures.
Are hanging plants replanted each year?
Are your hanging baskets and container plants looking for a means to be revived, renewed, and given new life?
Many hanging baskets and potted plants bought in the spring start to exhibit severe indications of wear and tear as late summer approaches. What was once a happy, flourishing plant has changed into a sad, struggling plant.
The foliage is losing its leaves, and the lovely blooms that previously covered it are now few. Additionally, irrigation is essentially impossible because it simply passes through the roots.
All of the aforementioned symptoms are typical of hanging basket and container plants that are old, root-bound, and out of control. And at this point, the plant will keep losing efficiency no matter what you do.
But hold on—all is not lost! There is a method to give those shabby planters and baskets a stunning second life before you throw them out on the curb. And it’s simpler than you might think!
A Simple Solution For Saving Worn Out Hanging Baskets & Container Plants
While you can always replant baskets and potted plants into bigger containers, there are occasions when that is just not an option or a practical solution.
Finding containers large enough to work with a plant that is already enormous might be challenging. Even if you do, filling with all that potting soil can be expensive and time-consuming.
And are you really going to exert that much work on plants when they only have a short time left before the first frost?
However, there is a straightforward, inexpensive approach to give your tattered hanging baskets and overgrown container plants more vitality. And we have been using it here on the farm for years to bring vibrant late-season color for nothing!
Replant those old baskets right into your flowerbeds and landscaping to give them new life rather than dumping them on the compost pile. The fresh area and soil will not only revitalize your drooping plants but also add a vibrant burst of color to perennial bed spaces for the remainder of the growing season.
You’ll be astounded by how big and lovely those potted plants can once more grow!
The Secret To Transplanting Success
Worn-out root-bound baskets and planters can find the room and nutrients they need to grow healthy once more by being replanted directly into the ground.
Start by excavating a hole that is around 50% bigger than the potted plant’s current root ball. Remove the plant from the original basket, being careful to gently separate the edges where the roots are intertwined.
This will make it easier for the plant’s roots to find their way into fresh soil and replenish nutrients. Give the roots a good bath in water before planting to rehydrate them.
Fill the bottom of the new hole with compost before replanting, then mix equal parts soil and compost around the perimeter. The worn-out hanging basket plants will have an easy time establishing new roots thanks to the loose, nutrient-rich soil.
Finish by giving the plant a hearty dose of liquid fertilizer. It will quickly absorb the nutrients to fast return back to life because it is established and developed. See also: 4 Effective Liquid Organic Fertilizers!
For the first week, until the roots have had a chance to become re-established, water regularly or even twice daily. Your old hanging basket will quickly come back to life in a stunning display of color.
Apply a light granular or liquid fertilizer once a week to keep the annuals blooming large until the end of the season. Your plants will give you thanks by blooming again! Organics granular fertilizer product link
Here’s to giving your old planters and hanging baskets a second chance this summer! Gardening success! Mary and Jim
Repotting
Replanting your hanging basket in a bigger container is the first and best way to revive it.
Unfortunately, the growth container for the majority of commercial hanging baskets is 10 to 12 pots. Baskets should be at least 14 to 16 inches in diameter to last the duration of a full growing season.
With at least 1/4 additional growing room, choose a new basket or container. The better, the more space. This provides ample room for roots to spread out and swiftly draw in nutrients.
The bottom of the basket should then be filled with premium potting soil. Ensure that the tightly bound roots are loosed before placing the root ball into the new basket. Take care to preserve their connection to the root ball as you carefully separate the bottom of the roots.
As a result, the plant can breathe and develop in the new soil. And as it does so, it will be able to absorb the water and nutrients it requires to flourish once more.
Finish by adding potting soil to the remaining space in the container, watering the plant well, and fertilizing it with liquid fertilizer. The plant will immediately re-flourish thanks to this nutrient boost. (Miracle Grow Organics Plant Food is the product link.)
Replanting
What transpires then if you are attempting to save a hanging basket that is simply too enormous for any basket or container that you can find?
Again, don’t get rid of the plant! For a huge burst of yearly color, transplant it immediately into your landscape.
When placed straight into flowerbeds or garden spaces, large hanging baskets and container plants can have an amazing second life. Just take the plant out of the pot, carefully loosen the root ball, and plant.
Give the plant plenty of water and a dosage of liquid fertilizer to kick-start its growth, just like when transplanting. You’ll be astonished at how rapidly the plant recovers given the ample amount of fresh soil and space!
Here’s to preserving those hanging baskets in need and ensuring that the blooms continue all summer long! Enjoy your garden! Mary and Jim