Baskets of winter colours
In many ways hanging baskets look their most impressive in winter when the rest of the garden is in deep hibernation. Their flowering performance maybe less flamboyant than their summer counterparts, but they more than make up for this with dogged weather-proof displays that last for months on end. It’s a wonder, then, that so many hanging baskets are emptied and packed away for the winter months.
Tools for the job
Why plant up your baskets for winter?
- Long-lasting display
- Recycle many plants
- Easy to look after
- Provide a much-needed colour boost
- Winter interest at eye level
At this time of year, garden retailers are filled with displays of winter-flowering pansies, polyanthus and primulas. Larger outlets usually offer more choice, including varieties in single and mixed colours, so that you can create colour-coordinated schemes with ease. It’s like painting by numbers really. For example, you could start with a pink-berried pernettya, add a bristly hummock of pink, winter-flowering heather alongside a matching primula with a cascading, white-variegated, small-leaved ivy and a few snowdrops for light relief. Another tried and tested combination would be a variegated miniature winter shrub, such as the yellow-and-green Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ or a variegated hebe, with a carefully selected pansy to highlight the variegation. You could then fill in around the sides with the trailing stems of periwinkle or even the colourful foliage of heuchera – there are many excellent new varieties now available in shades of yellow, pink, purple and bronze. Or you could go for colour contrast by combining the pillarbox-red berries of skimmia, with buttercup-yellow primulas and matching miniature narcissi. A monochrome scheme of white pansies, silver-variegated small-leaved ivies and white-topped ornamental brassica plants can look striking with early snowdrops - adding new life to the display come the spring.
Saving money on plants You don’t have to waste all your summer plants, since many are hardy and can be recycled in your winter displays. Ivies are a case in point, but you could also re-use senecio and purple-leaved sage. Further savings can be made by adding young plants from the garden. Either raise them yourself from cuttings or lift and divide clumps to cut the cost of your winter baskets. Some plants, such as periwinkles will naturally root as they spread so you can detach and pot up small plants. Others, like hellebores, self-seed readily and young plants can be collected ready to be used in winter hanging basket displays.
Planting the basket The secret to a good winter basket is to cram as many plants in as you can. Since they will not put on much growth during the winter months, you can literally push the rootballs right up against one-another in the basket.
- Choose a large basket that will hold a lot of compost since it is less likely to freeze solid during sub-zero weather conditions.
- Wire-mesh baskets should be lined with a special liner or you can try conifer clippings which will remain green throughout the winter and helps to insulate the roots.
- Use fresh potting compost or recycled compost from summer containers and growing bags.
- Water well after planting. There is no need to add fertiliser.
- Hang the basket in a sheltered spot for a few weeks to allow the plants to get established.
Spring booster with bulbs All winter containers benefit from the addition of miniature, spring-flowering bulbs, such as snowdrops, crocuses and dwarf narcissi. You can either plant dry bulbs now as you plant up the basket or introduce pot-grown bulbs in spring. The easiest way to do this is to ‘plant’ an empty pot rim-deep in the compost, so it is hidden from view. Then slot the pot of bulbs into position during the spring. The big advantage of this system is that you can add a pot of bulbs just coming into bud and then replace it a few weeks later, after the flowers are over, with a later-flowering variety to give a prolonged spring boost.
