Now that we are getting to the time of year when we are past early morning frosts, you can start to think about your hanging baskets.

Choose a hanging basket that has good depth and diameter. Ideally choose a wire framed basket as these will provide your with a good longevity of service. When choosing how to line your basket there are a number of options to consider. These can be moss, coir, wool and plastic sheeting.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to each. Moss is costly and only really lasts one season, Coir is attractive but dries out very quickly, hanging basket wool is another oprion which is made up of recycled materials and then there is an inside out compost bag.

I prefer to use moss as it looks more natural and holds water better. The secret to a good hanging basket is to keep it sufficiently moist / damp whilst it is actively growing.

1. Line your basket with your preferred medium, in this case i am using moss.

2. start by filling up the base and lower insides edges with moss and packing it tightly to the edges, then fill in the central hollow with a cut out a disc shape from a compost bag and make lots of small holes inside it. Then place this disc at the bottom of the basket on top of the first layer of moss. This will act as reservoir with drainage, then add compost on top of this

3. Choose which trailing plants you wish to use and start inserting them round the edge of the basket so that they poke through the wires but the root sits on the compost and moss edges. Once you have done this start by packing more moss round the inner edges of the basket so that the trailing plant roots are within the basket, packing the moss to the sides.

4. Fill up the basket with more compost until you reach the top. make sure you pack the compost down to expel any air.

5 Begin planting the top of the basket starting with your (Dot Plant) this is the plant which will be in the middle of the basket. For Summer bedding i usually have a geranium (Pelagonium) , once this is in your start planting round the outside. Never be afraid to pack too many plants into a basket.

6. Once its all planted i suggest sprinkling a handful of slow release fertiliser granules and Swell Gell on top of the basket and round the plants. The slow release will feed the basket for the next few months and the swell gel is a granule which when , in contact with water, turns to jelly, this will help keep the compost moist during dry and windy spells.

7. Once the bedding starts to produce flower buds you then want to start applying a liquid plant food, usually once a week and then as flowering begins , twice a week. Hanging baskets must never be allowed to dry out.

Plants Suitable for Summer hanging  baskets are as follows:

Geraniums upright and trailing / Fushsias including Trailing forms, Petunias including trailing forms, Nepeta, Lysimachia, Helichrysum, Lobelia, Impatiens, ivy, begonias, cinerariaand many others.