Garden Challenge... Hanging Baskets

Photos © S.W. Haddock, Jr 2007

The vision... Luscious, colorful, extravagant summer blooms, cascading down the sides of baskets that are suspended along the eaves of your farmer's porch... something to rival the hanging gardens of Babylon. The reality... spotted leaves, shedding foliage, drying stems, disfigured growth, fungal spots, yellowing leaves, few blossoms... sound familiar?

•WATER - On hot, sunny days, a hanging pot swinging in the breeze needs once or twice daily waterings. Polymers can be added to the soil, as you pot up your baskets in the spring or, added to the soil of pre-planted containers. Polymers absorb water (think baby diapers), swelling, expanding and forming a reservoir for thirsty roots (each pellet expands into a gelatin-looking cube, many times its original size). In other words, plants will thrive with less watering - saving the gardener time, effort and worry. The plants are no longer subject to drought-stress and its related manifestations. Do check the soil every day, especially on hot, sunny days, but you won't be at work with visions of hanging plants gasping their last breath.

To make the chore easier, attach a long watering wand, with a curved end and a soft-spray nozzle, to your garden hose. This is for areas where the water can drip freely, without damaging porches, decks, etc. One note about fleshy-leaved plants, like Ivy Geranium, Scaevola and Portulaca... they store water within their foliage and are therefore easier to overwater. Ivy Geranium, if overwatered, exhibits symptoms of "oedema" - the cells become so engorged with water, that they start to rupture and become scarred with corky brown spots (accelerated by high humidity), eventually dropping off yellow. Overwatering, as well as constantly wetting the foliage, can also lead to leaf spot, powdery mildew and other disease problems. Treat with the least-aggressive fungicides or home remedies, as necessary. As always, sound maintenance practices and cleanliness are the keys to prevention.

•FEEDING - The frequent watering of our hanging pots, means that nutrients are leached away at alarming rates. Even though many growers apply slow-release fertilizer at planting time (looks a little like insect eggs, on soil surface - the "shell" is porous, allowing the release of a small amount of nutrients each time one waters), supplement with weekly applications of an organic, water-soluble fertilizer such as a liquid fish and seaweed combination. This will increase flower production, maintain deep green foliage color and the seaweed/fish combination will strengthen the plant against insect and disease invasions.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, plants appear anemic - sickly yellowing foliage, with the veins remaining green. Chances are they are anemic and, like humans, require a "shot" of iron. Chelated iron is normally diluted in water (follow package dilution rate) and applied to the soil. Two plants that I find benefit from an application, every 4-6 weeks, are Ivy Geranium and decorative Ivy (usually fancy hybrids of Hedera helix or English Ivy).

•DEADHEADING/PRUNING - Picking off spent blooms, as soon as they fade, will direct the plants energies into the formation of new blossoms... this, combined with feeding, keeps a plant productive and looking its best all summer long. When removing dead flowers, be sure to pinch them off behind the calyx (small green "cup" at the base of the bloom), as this is where seeds would normally develop. By halting seed production, you encourage new flowers. It's all pretty simple, really. You just need a basic overview of how things work in nature, enabling you to react accordingly.

If stems become overly long and "stringy," don't be afraid to prune back to an area of fuller growth (just above foliage or dormant leaf bud). Petunias, even the much-improved modern hybrids, have a tendency in mid to late July, to succumb to the above "stringiness"... great foliage and blooms, usually from the edge of the pot downward. The entire top of the pot is nothing but bare stems. The solution is to cut several long stems (it's somewhat traumatic to cut off flowering stems, but it gets easier when you see the results) right back into the pot (again, above a leaf or dormant leaf bud) once every 7-10 days, starting in mid-July. This way, fresh new growth emerges from the top, while you still have a respectable flower display - sneaky, but effective!

•BEWARE THE NEW GUINEA IMPATIENS - usually listed as the one Impatiens for sun, bear in mind that it is sun-tolerant NOT sun-loving. In early morning or late afternoon sun, they fare quite well. Swinging in the wind beneath the hot, summer sun (say, from 10am-4pm) - NOT GOOD! They survive, at least for a while, by wilting down (they're trying to present a smaller profile, conserving moisture by exposing less leaf surface to the sun) in the heat of the day, then perking up when the worst of the sun/heat has passed. Yes, they'll survive for a while, until the stress of this process results in loss of foliage, premature blossom drop and sometimes death. New Guinea Impatiens have great flower color and amazing foliage choices. Indulge, but choose just the right spot!

Hanging containers are a great way to expand your garden potential, adding more space, a new dimension, bringing plants closer to our indoor environment. We're more likely to attend to their needs on a regular basis and may be encouraged to grow cherry tomatoes, ever-bearing strawberries, herbs and other more unusual specimens in hanging baskets... it's time to "think outside the hanging pot!"

© Deb Lambert 2008