Hanging baskets and summer planters are the perfect place to display your gorgeous summer flowers. Cascading petunias, hot fuchsias, and cheerful marigolds all look lovely in baskets and pots, but with the hot summer weather we’re currently experiencing, it may not be long before your precious plants are looking worse for wear!
Want your summer bedding plants in hanging baskets and planters to thrive all season long? We've got some helpful tips for you! These techniques are also great for keeping perennials happy, whether they're in containers or planted directly in the ground.
Deadheading
Deadheading flowers is one of those tasks that most gardeners enjoy. Long summer evenings are a great opportunity to wander around the garden with a pair of secateurs, admiring your handiwork and snipping off dead blooms.
Regularly deadheading your flowering perennials and bedding plants is key to a continuous display of blooms. Removing spent flowers prevents the plant from putting energy into seed production, redirecting it instead to create more flowers. Leaving deadheads on the stems signals to the plant that its flowering cycle is complete, discouraging further blooming. Plus, a tidy display of fresh flowers is always more appealing than one dotted with faded blossoms.
For smaller bedding plants, simply pinch off the spent flower heads. For plants with thicker stems, use snips or scissors to cut the dead flowers off just below the faded bloom or right above the next set of healthy leaves. Be careful not to get carried away and accidentally snip off any small, unopened buds that are yet to flower!
In a large garden, deadheading is a time-consuming task, so make a point of doing it once a day at a time that’s convenient for you. That way, your garden looks lovely and you don’t end up with a lot of dead flowers blighting your view.
Feeding
Plants make energy from sunlight. They also draw nutrients from the soil. You probably use compost for planters and hanging baskets, which is packed full of nutrients, but it is a good idea to give your flowers a boost with some supplementary plant food.
Plant food provides extra nutrients that encourage plants to put on their very best display. Your plants will produce more flowers and flower for longer if you feed them. Plant food comes in liquid or granule form. Liquid plant food is nice and easy to use – add the required amount to your watering can and give your plants an energy drink. If you have planters, buy some granular plant food and distribute it around the base of the plants. Try not to get it on the leaves, as it can burn them.
Watering
During hot weather, it's crucial to water your hanging baskets and planters at least once, and ideally twice, daily. Watering in the early morning and at dusk allows the moisture to soak into the soil effectively before the heat of the day causes excessive evaporation.
We hope this helps you, but if you need any more advice on how to keep your flowers sprightly this year, just ask the team!
