Watering hanging baskets
When watering hanging baskets, there is plenty to take into consideration to ensure they get enough when needed for your plants to thrive. Having hanging baskets is a great idea no matter what size garden you have because they can be hung from most vertical spaces including on balconies and patios, or from walls and pergolas. Hanging baskets are a wonderful way to be able to grow even more flowers in your garden and really can brighten up a space. There are plenty of plants for hanging baskets which will all need watering, so here are some ideas.
Choose your plants
If you have a sunny spot for your hanging baskets, choose plants that will love the sun and some that may even need less frequent watering, such as succulents and some bedding plants. If you are hanging your baskets in a shady place, pick shade-tolerant plants like Ferns and some Fuchsias and Begonias. There are so many different plants that grow well in hanging baskets, from Calibrachoa, Petunias, Tumbling Tomatoes, Strawberries, Verbena, Violas and Nasturtiums, to name a few. Why not use yours to grow salads as well?
Easy access
Wherever you decide to hang your baskets, make sure you can easily access them without getting into any difficulty. The plants may need deadheading and tidying, you will want to harvest edibles, and mostly, they will need frequent water during the summer and dry spells, so think about the height and how you will reach them with your watering can or hose.
How to water hanging baskets
Ideally, if you can, collect rainwater to use when watering your garden. That’s definitely the best option. So a water butt or container outside that you can fill your watering can with or attach your hose to is helpful. If you are in a small space and don’t need a long hose, extendable hoses are ideal for watering hanging baskets and can be stored away easily. If you are using a watering can remember it can get very heavy if large and filled with water, so you might want to lift your hanging basket down to the ground and water it there before allowing it to drain and hang back up again.
How often do you need to water hanging baskets?
If there hasn’t been much rain and it is dry, hot and/or windy, you may need to water your baskets every day. Try to balance the watering by ensuring the basket doesn’t completely dry out but also so it’s not soaking wet the whole time. Water well so the water drains all the way through, and make sure any excess can drain away. This can be achieved by ensuring your baskets are lined with drainage holes and plants have been planted into a good quality peat-free compost with added fertiliser granules.
In store, we have a selection of hanging baskets, plants and accessories to keep yours well watered.