Planting a hanging basket

Hello and thanks for visiting our blog. This week we've put together some basic tips, a guide for complete beginners on how to plant up a hanging basket. A handy design tip is to plant in odd numbers, we have chosen to plant five trailing plants in order for this basket to be over flowing with pretty flowers.

I have chosen a pelargonium in pink, to go in the centre as this will give some height; petunias in purple, cerise and white; and a surfinia in pale pink. Be sure to choose varieties of plants that complement each other in colour.

In this hanging basket, I have used a coconut fibre lining to give a lovely natural look. Some baskets are pre-lined with plastic, this is fine if you can't see it, you may have to make a few small holes in it for drainage.

Next add some compost, you can use John Innes No. 2 or a general compost is fine. Adding slow release plant food and water retaining crystals is recommended for a hanging basket, to help keep the compost moist and nutritious. 

Here I've put the tallest plant in the middle, this is fine or you could place it at the back of your arrangement. In this case the pelargonium is a trailing plant too, but still provides the bit of height required for this display.

The remaining four plants were placed around the centre. The pale colours were paired up with the more vibrant colours so that the display will look eye catching all round once everything is in flower. Be sure to loosen the roots slightly before planting. Add more compost around all the plants and pat down.

Give the basket a generous watering and hang it up! It's as simple as that. As far as caring for it goes, make sure you water it daily to avoid drying out. If you forget, and the compost does dry out just take the basket down and soak it in a bucket of water for a little while.

This basket will look great in a few weeks time, i'll be sure to post an updated picture for you to see the result.

If you want to find out what else we've been up to , check out our Facebook page.

Thanks very much for reading, I hope to see you soon.

Rain, rain, go away!

As you will be well aware it simply hasn’t stopped raining, it is crazy the amount of rain we have had, really! It has impacted the timescales of our work. Put it this way, we’ve had plenty of time to get some planning done and catch up on the paperwork. But we are the lucky ones, we haven’t been flooded here and our power supply has been fine. Our thoughts go out to those who have been greatly affected by the storms.

If you are one of the unlucky ones in that you have some property that has been damaged by the wind and storms, perhaps I can help you by giving some advice on how to go about getting quotes for work that you need carried out.

A lot of people these days ‘Google it’ in order to find a contractor. Usually, it is possible to read reviews that have been left by previous customers, so this can be helpful and reassuring. You might look for a firm based close to where you live or perhaps you have asked around and contact a firm that has been recommended.

It is best to obtain a few quotes and have a good chat to the contractors so you fully understand what they can offer you and ensure you get ‘like for like’ quotes.

As an example here’s a suggestion on how to tackle getting quotes for fencing work:

Have a look on the internet or in your local paper or magazine for a contractor. Look out for a professional, and read reviews where possible.

Contact at least three. Fence contractors are busy people, if you ring and there’s no answer (especially if it’s a mobile) don’t be surprised, if equipment is running or their hands are full they won’t be able to get to the phone. But leave a message and they can always call you back.

Arrange for the contractors to visit your property, make sure it’s at a time when there is still plenty of light.

Ask as many questions as you like. How they started, how long have they been trading, what materials are they going to use? Is the timber fully treated? Are they using 4 x 4 posts? How do they plan to fit the posts, using met posts or concrete?  Perhaps they have a portfolio of work for you to view to give you an idea of the quality they can offer or they could provide you with references from previous customers who can vouch for their workmanship.

Most contractors will then contact you within a few days with an estimate. Some provide written quotes, others just verbal. Either way, when you choose the quote you wish to accept, the work to be carried out should always be written in detail and signed by both parties. This will protect you and the contractor of any misunderstanding, and it’s there in black and white, the job that is required and the agreed price.

How you choose which contractor is up to you. You may go for the one with the most experience, best reviews, the cheapest, the one in the middle or the guy who you had a nice chat with and thought you liked best! If you have followed the above steps you should be fine. If you get like for like quotes you can weed out any cowboys that may seem to offer you a cheap price but may use materials not fit for the job.

So, you’ve chosen the contractor you’d like to use and you’re talking about money. Some contractors will ask for a part payment. This is acceptable for them to ask this of you, especially if it is a small business rather than a large firm. This usually covers the costs of the materials required for the job. Some contractors will just ask for the full payment to be made upon completion, they may prefer to keep a credit account running with their supplier. In either case, you should expect to be given receipts for all money received. When the job is compete, the contractor should give you advice on how to look after and maintain your fence, then when you are happy the job can be signed off.

I hope this is of some help to you.

As far as our week has gone, Richard has been working hard on some fencing and decking, with still another couple of weeks left on the job. But look out for the photos of his work coming soon. Garden maintenance hasn’t begun yet this year due to the weather. But we hope to get out there sometime next week and make a start on tidying up after all the storms.

Thanks very much for reading, have a great day!