This pretty hanging basket combination has a lovely cottage garden feel, and is ideal for sunny or partially shaded spots. Water generously – twice a day if it’s really hot – and feed regularly with a high potash fertiliser to promote new flower growth.
Suspend the basket in a plant pot, to make planting up the sides easier, and add a coir liner, preferably one with holes in the sides. Fill the basket two-thirds with compost, mixed with a couple of handfuls of water-retaining gel and slow-release fertiliser.
Plant up the sides with two each of the geraniums and petunia, gently pushing the rootballs through the holes from the outside to avoid damaging the leaves.
In the centre of the basket, plant the nemesias, and alternate the rest of the geraniums and petunias around the edges. Trim away excess coir lining, to tidy the display.
Water the plants thoroughly, allowing the basket to drain fully before transferring it to its bracket.
In this pretty container display we combine culinary herb rosemary with sweet flag and pretty spring pansies, to dramatic effect. The bright pink pot brings out the bold purple pansy flowers, while the grass and rosemary provide foliage interest. Keep the pot near your back door so you can quickly snip off a sprig of rosemary when you need it.
There are many plants in flower in February that can be used to create an instant spring pot display. Daffodils and primulas go together beautifully, and work well with the contrasting foliage of Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ and a brightly coloured pot. If you buy the plants from a garden centre, they can be planted into the garden after they’ve finished flowering, so you can enjoy them for years to come.
Dahlias come in a fascinating variety of shapes and sizes, and the pom-pom types, with their rows of incurved petals, resemble old-fashioned bathing caps. Dahlia ‘Franz Kafka’ lends itself – ironically, given its name – to a relaxed cottage-garden style, floating like balloons above the feathery foliage of Cosmos ‘Sensation’ and its delicate, pink petals. Use a large container for this display, as this combination of plants reaches 1m in height. Prevent the planting scheme from looking too top h
In this pot design, the graceful astelia and black ophiopogon add structure, while a small-flowered blue pansy or viola unites the blue pot and the plants. You Will Need Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigr