The Council Gardener - helpful hints for your hanging baskets and sweetpea cones

27 June 2018

The Council Garden - June part 2

In this vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsNceVtlac, The Council Gardener Danny gives helpful advice about what to grow in your hanging baskets, and how to create a beautiful sweetpea cone. He also visits Hazlehead Park and Persley Walled Garden, both of which are stunning at this time of year. Below are the actions for your garden, and a list of the plants mentioned. 

Remember, gardening is all about growing, so let's grow together! ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsNceVtlac

Actions

Basket tips - split basket up into three rows. Planting in triangle formations. First in the very centre will be an upright grower. Second row will also be an upright grower but chose a different variety of plant and different colour to variety look. Third row will consist of two different trailing plants, both different colours and also different from the other two rows. You can double up on the plant with you prefer most as this will have a bigger impact of colour of your basket. Always plant trailing plants strongest stem facing out the basket and towards the centre.

Sweet pea cones - cheap and easy to do all that is needed is bamboo canes, compost, pots, seed and string. Fill pot with compost. Place canes in a triangle formation tie tops together. Poke holes in compost around canes preferable three or more place seeds in and cover up. Water well. Can put outdoors in nicer pots, or in a border or in chuckies.

Planting bedding plants - when planting bedding plants, I was told to treat them like eggs, don’t squeeze them to hard or they’ll break but you have to be firm enough to get them securing in the ground.

Plants in video

Parsley walled garden

Begonias/begoniaceae - great for bedding whether in beds or baskets. So many different varieties and colours. My favourite is Braveheart.

Canna - topical looking herbaceous plant that will liven up not only your bedding plant display but any planted boarder.

Acer - beautiful maple trees that leafs in some variety’s change colour. Low growing.

Sedum - herbaceous plant, with long soft green foliage.

Peony rose/paeonia - herbaceous plant, favourite in the cut flower trade, large rose-like flower.

Wisteria - climber with long sweeps of flowers.

Basket

Fuchsia - in bedding form has great colour and can be upright and a great trailer.

Bidens - bushy bedding plant with little flowers.

Petunia - brilliant for a trailing plant as hangs well with massive trumpet shaped flowers with many different colours to choose from.

Geranium - comes in upright and trailing, a very strong bedding plant with smaller flowers.

Sweet peas/Lathyrus odoratus

Easy to grow, great climber, long flowering periods, lots of colour.