Article Sphere Logo  

 
"Landscaping Gardening" Article
Article Directory Home Home And Family Landscaping Gardening

You may republish the following article on your websites, blogs, ezines, and free offline magazines - subject to our Publisher Terms of Service.

Hanging Baskets that Last All Year Round

Expert Author: Carol Freyer | Submitted: 2008-05-07 | Word Count: 534 words | Views: 43 view(s)
 Carol Freyer
You know spring has arrived when the stores put out their display of colorful hanging baskets. Why wait til spring, wouldn't it be great to celebrate the seasons all year round? You can do this by creating an all season hanging planter that changes with each of the four seasons.

Start by buying a strong, attractive hanging basket holder that will last. Try to avoid those cheap, white plastic, disposable containers, and go for a more durable planter made from cedar or wrought iron. If you're using a solid container, pour gravel in the bottom for drainage. If you prefer a wire frame planter, try lining it with coco fiber or sphagnum moss. Fill the container with lightweight potting soil, or make your own using equal parts of peat moss, perlite and vermiculite.

Now, depending on the season, the fun begins! Here are some four seasons planting suggestions:

Summer:

Keep in mind that whatever you choose has to be compatible with the amount of sunlight your planter will be exposed to. For the biggest most consistent blooms, fertilize once an week, and never let your soil dry out. On some of those super hot summer days, you may have to water twice a day.

Use a combination of tall and trailing plants with varied leaf color. Use taller plants or decorative grass in the center and surround with a combination of trailing blooms and vines.

Try designing a hanging basket with a specific color scheme such as red and purple or red and white. Alternately, choose one strong bloomer such as calibrachoa (million bells) and load up your container.

A basket with soft pastel colors can be equally dramatic by using a combination of lavender Verbena, rose colored Wax begonia, and Browallia speciosa.

Fall:

Once the weather begins to cool down and your blooms start to wither, it's time to start thinking about an autumn basket. Fall mums make a colorful display of rich blooms that last right into the colder weather, or try some unusual plants such as decorative kale or giant hens and chickens. For a maintenance-free planter, make a display using fruits from the autumn harvest such as baby pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and decorate with small scarecrows.

Winter:

Now is the time to combine your hanging basket with your holiday decorating. Start by getting trimmings from spruce or cedar trees to create a layer of greenery. Add sticks of red dogwood branches in the center, or spray paint branches white or gold. Accent with silk poinsettias and large pinecones. For a night time display, add tiny lights or bright red Christmas balls.

Spring:

This is probably the most anticipated basket transformation and nothing says spring like spring bulbs. This is something you can do prior to decorating your Fall basket. Once your summer plants are removed, stuff your basket with various spring bulbs using a combination of early and late bloomers.

If you haven't planned in advance, that's ok, buy potted bulbs or use some that you have already forced indoors and transplant into your planter. Crocuses, daffodils and tulips shout "spring" as they poke through the dirt. Depending on your location, bright colorful primulas are available in February and will bloom well into late spring.

PorchLight Real Estate Group is proud of its professional Denver real estate agents and their expert services. For more information on Capitol Hill CO real estate or to search Denver homes for sale, visit us online at PorchLightGroup.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Hanging-Baskets-that-Last-All-Year-Round/138515

 
 
 
This article has been viewed 43 times.
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

More "Landscaping Gardening" Related Articles

 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Landscaping Gardening" article category.

People interested in the above article "Hanging Baskets that Last All Year Round" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Expert Author: Anne Harvester | Submitted: 2008-05-19 | Word Count: 416 | Views: 4
Originally, rockwool was invented for use as home and building insulation. The first hydroponic gardeners that realize the usefulness of this substance were those living in Denmark; since then, it has become commercially available for use in hydroponics in two forms: rockwool cubes and rockwool cubes. The manufacturing process is similar to that of cotton candy; once stone and sand has reached the melting point, the fibers are spun into many different sizes and shapes.
Expert Author: Anne Harvester | Submitted: 2008-05-18 | Word Count: 448 | Views: 7
Ozone is what is known as an allotrope of oxygen; instead of a single molecule, it results from the bonding of three oxygen molecules. Most people don’t realize it, but oxygen is actually toxic in large amounts; therefore, ozone is triply toxic.
Expert Author: Anne Harvester | Submitted: 2008-05-18 | Word Count: 453 | Views: 5
Soilless gardening is nothing new, and in fact dates back several thousand years; however, today’s indoor gardening supplies are definitely high tech. Growing indoors is not “rocket science,” but it’s definitely science. Although you are growing plants inside in a soilless medium such as rockwool or even gravel, your objective is to duplicate the natural conditions under which your plants evolved. Monitoring these conditions and maintaining control over them requires that you keep and maintain numerous kinds of meters and controls among your indoor garden supplies.
Expert Author: Anne Harvester | Submitted: 2008-05-18 | Word Count: 409 | Views: 11
You'll find a wide range of growing mediums at most retail outlets that carry hydroponic supplies as well as websites through which you can order hydroponic supplies. Hydroponics is a form of gardening that is usually done indoors and without soil, but growing mediums are still necessary.
Expert Author: Anne Harvester | Submitted: 2008-05-17 | Word Count: 459 | Views: 4
Grow lights and grow light reflectors are important components of hydroponics systems and success in growing indoors. You’ll find many different kinds of grow lights available; grow light reflectors are used in order to maximize and optimize light output of your grow lights.
Expert Author: Kim Hunter | Submitted: 2008-05-16 | Word Count: 429 | Views: 18
One of the many special things about the Pacific Northwest Coast area is the gardening. The climate here gives us a long growing season, and, for most of the year, plenty of water so that we can have lush yards and gardens without a lot of effort.
Expert Author: Andrew I. Johnson | Submitted: 2008-05-14 | Word Count: 442 | Views: 4
Trees have inhabited the earth since prehistoric times, and have adapted to survive in some of the harshest of conditions. Throughout their existence, trees have been the subject of damage brought on by inclement weather as well as birds and other animals. In modern times, trees are faced with an increased threat of damage as a result of human activities. Unlike animals, trees do not have a process of healing damaged tissue, or in other words, trees cannot replace damaged tissue with healthy tissue. Instead they have developed a way to seal off a damaged area to protect against further damage through a process called compartmentalization.

Article Directory Home Home And Family Landscaping Gardening

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.
Template Design by Larry Lim | Internet Marketing