If you want an easy way to inject some colour into your outdoor space this year, a hanging basket is an excellent way to customise your garden while putting your green fingers to use.
Read on as we break down our simple step-by-step guide and how Garden Ropes can help.
What you’ll need
If you want to make a hanging basket, you’ll need the following:
- A basket made of wire or wicker
- Liner
- Water-retaining gel
- Peat-free compost
- Chosen plants
- A rope
To ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible, beneficial extras can also include gloves, scissors, a trowel, a watering can, and sturdy hooks or brackets.
Choosing the right rope
Choosing a high-quality rope is essential to make sure that your hanging basket remains functional and aesthetic.
Synthetic Hemp or Polyhemp ropes are outstanding options that are often chosen for their hardwearing and long-lasting properties. They are resistant to UV rays, shrinking, and rotting, allowing for a premium and natural look with minimal maintenance.
Or if you would prefer natural ropes, then consider Flax Hemp, Sisal, or Manila ropes.
A step-by-step guide
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Prepare the basket
Fit the liner in the basket, making sure that it’s snug before trimming any excess. If you need the basket to remain steady, pop it on a bucket or pot.
This step is also a great time to cut holes in the basket if needed to prevent waterlogged compost, which can lead to root rot and dying flowers and plants.
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Add compost and feed
Next, add your compost to the basket. Using a high-quality peat-free or multi-purpose compost is best.
For optimal results, mixing slow-release feed and water-retaining gel into the basket compost will help to prevent dryness.
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Choosing your plants
When filling your hanging basket, you receive freedom to select whichever plants you wish, whether you’re considering herbs or flowers, bright colours or neutrals.
Some popular hanging basket plants include:
- Fuschias
- Petunias
- Lobelias
- Geraniums
You may also wish to vary your basket depending on the seasons, with colourful foliage in spring and summer and warmer hues towards autumn. Many gardeners opt for a combination of upright plants, bushy plants, and trailing plants.
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Hang it securely
A sunny, sheltered, and easily accessible spot is a prime location when finding somewhere suitable for your hanging basket, protecting it from winds but ensuring that it can photosynthesise.
Hanging baskets can bear a reasonable amount of weight, especially after watering. So it's important that you use tough and strong rope, chains, hooks, and brackets to properly secure the basket in place.
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Maintenance
Watering can depend on your personalised plants and flowers, but checking daily is a good way to keep soil moist and flowers in top health.
Removing dead flowers (deadheading) when necessary and feeding your plants regularly can make sure your flowers bloom as well as possible.
How Garden Ropes can help
Here at Garden Ropes, we supply first-class ropes that offer a number of benefits, so you can access expert utensils to create a hanging basket that aligns with your vision.
Our team are also here to provide custom recommendations and advice based on your needs. So, if you’re still unsure as to which product meets your project’s requirements, get in touch.
