Hanging Baskets

Some sound advice on this thread about appropriate plants for hanging baskets - however ExDancer you are not a horrid person nor or you responsible for maintaining your friends hanging baskets. An initial generous offer has now become a chore! I understand your reluctance to speak to your friend and she is probably unaware of how you feel. Please speak to her and explain it is all too much when you have your own garden to maintain. A dilema , however if you don't speak out the problem will not be resolved. Be brave and good luck !

Toscalily - What ever you do don't plant calibrachoa / million bells if you are in the UK as they won't last long once planted as they are not winter hardy.

This is correct. I would treat them as annuals - as you do petunias. They are available as plug/small plants around the same time in late spring.

Namsnanny

Ooooo! If I could get a display as lovely as that, I'd plant my baskets with Calibrachoa all the time PinkCosmos.
Is that your plant pot? The only reason I ask is, I dont trust the sales or advertising photos!
I used to use Surfinia, at one time.

No. It was just a picture I found on the internet for illustration purposes. I do believe it was from J Parkers (hope I don't get done for copyright) which is a mail order plant website. I think they sell the plug plants in a range of colours.

I did grow pink ones last year but I bough them at a garden centre. They were quite bright. They are more commonly known as million bells.

ginny

Oh, I wouldn’t mind a hanging basket full of ever growing muffins. A pleasure to deadhead.

ginny, I agree ?

Oh, I wouldn’t mind a hanging basket full of ever growing muffins. A pleasure to deadhead.

Ooops! will ask for it to be removed

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I can understand the reluctance to spend lots of time deadheading, especially if you have your own garden to deal with as well. Perhaps suggest an arrangement of trailing ivy, winter cyclamen or violas (last better than Pansy's) and one of the miniature / small shrubby type of conifers which should need very little attention through the winter. What ever you do don't plant calibrachoa / million bells if you are in the UK as they won't last long once planted as they are not winter hardy.

I love calibrachoa but the last couple ofvyears mine hasn't been at it's best - half dead. I did get some million bells from JParker and they have been really bushy but not flowered as well as dxpected yet but still going strong.
I binned all petunias last night! I think the heat has not done the baskets and pots any favours.
Agree about the ivyleaf trailing geranium i love it.

I don't think that you have been a horrible person at all exdancer.
You need to be honest about your time.
Sometimes people don't appreciate what you do for them.

Aargh pred. Text changed it - you know what I mean ?

The Best baskets I've ever had were trailing begonias. They flowered all summer with only my sporadic watering.

Pinkcosmos I must try you calibrations they look amazing.

The best plants for baskets are trailing begonias. Just pack them in. They just fall off when they have had enough. For winter baskets, miniature daffs planted under training violas require minimal maintenance. However I would make it clear that you are not going to be responsible for their upkeep.

What J52 says ?

I have lots of hanging baskets, mainly surfinias and enjoy the deadheading bit, but as you say ExD time consuming.
Winter pansies are easy to take care of, but if you are pushed for time, be honest with your friend about the baskets, and as
timetogo suggests, help her get a few tall pots to plant up instead, that she can manage on her own.

I find a hanging basket crowded with trailing Geraniums the easiest to look after, they don’t mind a bit of drought and are easy to deadhead.

I’d second the suggestion of ‘million bells’.
I think you will have to explain to your friend that you have not got and cannot spend so much time on her garden. Maybe offer a once a week tidy up.
You are not horrid person. I’d say you were a good friend.

Suggest she uses tall pot planters so she can do the dead heading herself.

I understand your predicament. Summer hanging baskets are very demanding with deadheading, watering etc.. I would not dream of asking anyone to routinely service one of mine; it is a bind. You will have to tell the lady you haven't got time. It is just not fair to take advantage of your generosity.

Ooooo! If I could get a display as lovely as that, I'd plant my baskets with Calibrachoa all the time PinkCosmos.
Is that your plant pot? The only reason I ask is, I dont trust the sales or advertising photos!
I used to use Surfinia, at one time.

Sorry, picture didn't upload

Could you suggest a winter basket with miniature daffodils and ivy?

Also, petunias are a pain to deadhead and very sticky also. Could you suggest calibrachoa / million bells instead - see picture. They are very similar to petunias but with smaller but more flowers.

Just found this quote ' You don't need to deadhead calibrachoas plants as they're 'self-cleaning' – they automatically drop their spent flowers. Pinching back each stem (removing the growing tip) will encourage more bushy plants that will produce more flowers'

Hope this helps

My hanging baskets looked wonderful a month ago but are now looking pretty dreadful. It is down to the weather I am sure. The petunias aren’t happy and have gone leggy. I am thinking of re-doing the basket but will probably wait to put autumn/winter plants in. You could try just chopping the plants back and see if they revive.