Care through the season

Keeping hanging baskets happy

A full hanging basket is a small miracle of engineering: a big thirsty plant community living in a small pot, up in the wind and sun. The whole game is water.

The rhythm

• Check daily — twice daily in July heat. Lift the basket: light means water, heavy means wait. Your arm is a better moisture meter than your eyes.
• Water until it runs out the bottom, every time. Shallow sips train shallow roots and leave dry pockets in the mix.
• If it dries to a crisp, don't panic — set the basket in a tub of water for a half hour so the mix can fully rehydrate. Peat-based mixes shed water once bone dry.

Feeding and grooming

All that watering flushes nutrients through, so baskets need regular feeding — a dilute feed every week or two keeps color coming. Deadhead spent blooms, and don't be afraid to trim leggy trailers by a third in midsummer; a haircut in July buys you a fuller basket in August.