GBBD: Hanging Baskets the Easy Peasy Way

Last year's hanging basket which welcomed me home

Most hanging basket guidance will give you a look that is burgeoning, beautiful, and relatively high maintenance. Last year's health woes meant I was not only later with planting up my hanging basket, there was also a limited choice of what I could actually put in there. Burgeoning was out and budget was in.

Then I remembered the clever use of Bidens I'd seen on holiday at Bishop's Castle a few years ago. Luckily there was still some left for sale, and the pictured basket was the result of just one plant. Not only that, it flowered right up to December. I learned later that Bidens can be grown as a perennial in the UK, though we tend to use it as an annual. Sadly my plant didn't survive past the first hard frost, though if I'd moved it from its north facing position to a warmer spot in the back garden, I may have had more success with overwintering.

Another accidental shortcut was my use of Dalefoot's Wool compost. Remember last year's drought? My basket flourished on just one or two waterings per week, and no extra feeding.

Bidens 'Spotlight'

Guess what's in this year's basket? Yes, it's another Bidens, though I'm ringing the changes with my choice of 'Spotlight'. I think the flowers are extraordinary and I expect my basket to fill out nicely in the next couple of weeks. It may not be a burgeoning basket, but I like my more relaxed approach just as much as those currently gracing Chippenham High Street. I smile every time my basket welcomes me home.

At just £1.75 for my plant, plus a little spare compost; and much less watering and feeding, my simple, easy care basket is another reason to keep smiling.

Hanging basket with Bidens 'Spotlight'

What's in your hanging basket(s) this year? Are they burgeoning, budget, or easy peasy?

This post was inspired by Tamsin Westhorpe's talk on stress-free gardening at Malvern Spring Festival earlier this year. A great alternative to Bidens is one of those cascading Heucherellas or a delicate Tiarella like the 'Appalachian Trails' I used a few years ago. With the most basic of care they'll last a couple of years. Do you have an alternative to add to my easy peasy list?

Garden Bloggers Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. 

Comments

  1. Swimray15 June 2019 at 12:04

    No baskets here, but maybe I should do a post on my containers some day. I was expecting vegetables in your containers :-)
    -Ray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP18 June 2019 at 17:19

      The vegetables are elsewhere Ray, and not in flower yet, so don't qualify for Blooms Day. Welcome to Veg Plotting!

      Delete

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