EASY GARDENING
Hanging baskets are the perfect way to create a pop of colour to welcome you home at any time of year
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Don’t give up on colour just because it’s winter. As our spectacular hanging basket proves, there’s plenty of luminous blooms around during the darkest months.
Every basket needs a thriller, filler and spiller to really pack a punch.
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Thrillers are the stars of the show and give the display height and drama. The filler adds contrast and texture and is much shorter than the thriller.
The spiller is a plant that falls over the side of the basket, softening the edges.
1 You’ll need a hanging basket, plastic bag, peat-free compost, chionodoxa bulbs, iris bulbs such as ‘JS Dijt’, ivy, violas and helleborus. To limit plastic, you could use moss from the garden as a liner. ©GAP Photos
2 Cut holes in the liner for drainage and fill the basket a third of the way up with peat-free compost. The next step is to add the iris and chionodoxa bulbs a few centimetres apart. ©GAP Photos
3 Every hanging basket needs a thriller, spiller and a filler. The iris and chionodoxa will act as thriller, albeit they will take a couple of months to bloom but look spectacular. ©GAP Photos
4 Add another thin layer of compost to the basket and get ready to add your fillers. Place the violas and hellebores around the edge, leaving a gap for the ivy, which is the spiller. ©GAP Photos
5 Backfill carefully with the peat-free compost, ensuring that there are no gaps and it’s up to just below the basket rim. Do not worry about the bulbs breaking through, they will do so comfortably. ©GAP Photos
6 Find a sunny, sheltered position and hang up your basket. Water it well. It will continue to need regular watering but nowhere near the amount of summer baskets. Keep the soil moist, but not soaking wet. ©GAP Photos
