Gardening: The secret of hanging basket success | Brian Kidd

Unfortunately I have not been well for a couple of months. My doctor tells me I have to be patient and not do so much so I am a bit behind answering some of the mail. Please bear with me.

If you send a sample, please remember, wrap it in DRY newspaper – no moisture, no polythene or Clingfilm and please go to the post office to ensure the correct postage is applied. Thank you.

This week’s postbag was interesting. Many gardeners are complaining that hanging baskets are not so good this year. They lack vitality and the flowers don’t seem to last as long. What is the answer?

Remember that chilly wind we had a few weeks ago? Some of our plants in a basket which faces east were dehydrated and the plants had to be cut right down before giving them a weak feed.

I had a look earlier this week and tiny new shoots have appeared so they will be back to normal in August.

Hanging baskets can be beautiful if we bear in mind the plants are growing in very small containers. You’ll have about 21 plants in a basket which has got little more than a bucket of compost in it.

The best plan is to take off every dead bloom every day if possible. Petunias are really important because if they are allowed to set seed, the parent plant will turn brown and die.

It can be difficult to find the dead blooms but you will notice after a few days the dead flowers become crisp. A pair of sharp scissors, using just their tips, will do the trick. The dead heads can go into the compost bin of course. If you are not sure if the flowers have died, look at the tip of each shoot. Each one should have live buds.

Bidens in baskets are just wonderful. The flowers tumble down to make a waterfall of yellow blooms. In the early part of the season they just look like ferny foliage, but once they become established they will bloom their socks off until the frosts arrive... as long as they are dead-headed every day. All you need is a pair of scissors.

Going back to the small amount of compost in baskets… remember, they need to be fed regularly. This is very important and when judging it is easy to see who feeds regularly. Some gardeners buy the recommended feed but don’t use it. If you use it, it will work and will transform your baskets.

Feeding is important and we need a different approach. Chemical fertilisers feed the plants but if we look at the biological process we need to feed the compost. If we do this the plants will take out the nutrients and grow beautifully.

Look at the directions on the bottle of Maxicrop Complete liquid fertiliser and use the weakest strength every time baskets are watered. Keep dead-heading and you will have the best baskets ever.

If you suffer from the wind, use flat-backed, round-fronted baskets on a wall. The wall protects the plants from the wind.

•This week’s top tip

Sow another batch of dwarf French beans. Be prepared to cover them with cloches in September and they will provide beans right up until the cold weather arrives in late autumn.

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