How to Create a Hanging Basket
STEP 1
Place pre-mossed basket on shallow clay pot for stability while you work. Use something that allows you the ability to reach all sides. (Soak the basket if moss is dry).
STEP 2
Wrap individual plants with damp moss. In choosing your plants, keep in mind that similar plants typically work best together. This is your chance to go crazy, be creative. Any mistakes are just for one season! Here are some of our most popular plants: Sweet Alyssum, Lobelia, Common Fibrous Begonia. We find that planting the lower half of the basket with ivy and the top half with color yields the best results. (Some suggestions for color - petunias and marigolds). Also, we recommend using pony pack or color pack sizes so that the root ball will be smaller and easier to work with.
STEP 3
Plant the sides and bottom of the basket by poking through: poke planting holes in the moss with fingers or shears, and insert the wrapped root ball from the outside, gently pulling from the inside. Once the plant is in place, pull the moss back in place around the neck or base of the plant. Remember: this is where smaller plants - pony pack size - work best.
STEP 4
Plant the interior and top of the basket: we've found that baskets planted in a pattern have a healthier, fuller look. Once you've put your plants in place around the outside of the basket, fill the inside with rich potting soil (of course, we use Roger's potting soil). Push down lightly on the soil, then plant the top of the basket in a pattern. Here you can use 4" - 8" or even 1-gallon size plants.
STEP 5
Water the basket thoroughly. We like to use a water wand because of its soft water pressure and ability to reach high places. Hang your basket for a day or two in an area where there is bright, filtered light, then choose a suitable location in terms of full sun, shade, and wind.
STEP 6
The finished product: enjoying your hanging basket garden! Key maintenance tips for beautiful baskets: location (sensitivity to sun, based on the plants you pick), regular watering, fertilizing, grooming, and spraying for pests.
For a more detailed view of the planting procedure, you can consult our Hanging Basket Care Sheet. Keep in mind, though, that that Sheet assumes you are mossing your own basket - here on this page, the instructions assume that you are using one of our handy pre-mossed baskets which let you focus on the fun rather than the work!
Now that you know how to create Instant Outdoor Color, we've fashioned an online boutique containing all the accessories you'll need to get started; click here to enter our Hanging Basket Gardens online store.
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