Autumn/winter hanging baskets
If you thought that once summer was over, your hanging baskets would be too – think again! Here’s some suggestions for adding a welcome splash of colour to your hanging baskets for the autumn, winter and early spring months!
Your basket
For colder months we recommend that you use a closed bottom basket than an open-work one. For example, the rustic-style Willow basket pictured here is one of our best sellers. During the colder months, this type of basket will give the plants some extra protection against the elements.
Prepare it in much the same way as you would the summer basket with adequate drainage holes before planting and use a good quality compost for best results.
Choosing your plants
This is slightly different to the ‘Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers’ approach we use in summer where we’d choose height in the centre, fill around for volume, and finish off with trailing plants.
With windy, cold Scottish winters in mind, it’s important to use hardy varieties and aim for slightly less height and length.
The baskets in the image are simple to create, featuring a mass of colourful winter-flowering Violas.
We’ve suggested some plants below that work well in autumn/winter baskets and there’s lots more in-store.
Caring for your basket
Caring for your basket in the colder months is very different to what’s required in summer. It’s important to keep the compost moist – particularly if it is windy – but too much water can kill your plants, especially if it becomes frosty.
If you’ve used a good compost, you probably won’t need to feed again over winter – too much feed produces fast, soft growth which is susceptible to frost damage.
Although the plants we suggest will tolerate most winter conditions, it is a good idea to move the basket into a sheltered place if we have particularly strong winds or low temperatures.
Some plant ideas
Viola
Gaultheria
Ajuga
Calcephalus brownii & Dianthus
Cyclamen & Ivy
Stipa & Dianthus
Primroses
