‘Ideal’ flowers to plant in hanging baskets this spring

Alan Titchmarsh makes a winter hanging basket in 2013

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Spring is almost here which means it’s time to start thinking about your garden’s floral arrangements. One of the best ways to add colour and interest to your garden, or around your backdoor, is to use hanging baskets.

Hanging baskets are perfect for displaying colourful plants and flowers and can add a pop of colour to blank spaces around exterior doors.

Spring is the perfect time to plan your hanging basket arrangements, however, they will need protection from frost until the middle of May or until the last day for frost has passed.

Creating a beautiful, colourful flower arrangement in a basket is harder than people think as some flowers aren’t suitable for hanging baskets.

With so many flowers to choose from, gardening expert Sean Lade, a gardening expert and director of Easy Garden Irrigation, has shared which plants are best to plant in a hanging basket for a healthy and long-lasting display.

He said: “There are many factors to consider when creating hanging baskets, from positioning your hanging baskets to plant selection and watering methods.

“It is important to check how exposed your hanging baskets will be to sunlight during the year in order to choose flowers that enjoy the sunlight, or if your hanging baskets will be in the shade, flowers that survive with less light.

“Whether you’re using an automatic watering system or watering by hand, hanging baskets need to be watered regularly.”

These are the best flowers for creating a vibrant, hanging basket this spring:

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Petunias

Petunias love the sun and produce beautiful blooms when they’re in full sun making them the “ideal” plant for a summer hanging basket.

You will need to put them in a position that gets a minimum of five to six hours of full sunlight each day. Sean added: “A full day of sunlight will produce the most flowers.

“Petunias come in a large variety of colours and can make a very interesting display. They flower between June and August.”

Lobelia Pendula

Like petunias, these flowers like full sun, however, they can also withstand partial shade and cooler weather.

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The good news is these will keep blooming up even if temperatures remain frosty up until May.

Lobelia Pendulas will flower from June to September and are known to withstand a little bit of frost.

Sean added: “These flowers make a great addition to hanging baskets as they will overflow and drop down the side of the basket allowing you to view the flowers in all their glory.”

Pansies

Pansies are a popular plant that can be found in most UK gardens. They’re known for their heart-shaped petals and stunning colours which include bright purples, yellows and oranges.

Pansies are an “excellent choice of flower” as they flower from February to May which means you can enjoy flowers earlier in the year.

For a continuously vibrant hanging basket, Sean suggested planting pansies early in the year and then swapping the out with petunias and lobelias when they are ready to flower in the summer.

Sean added: “To lengthen the blooming period of your pansies, pinch out flower heads that have finished blooming to ensure that nutrients are not wasted.

“This allows the removed heads to grow new buds, producing more flowers that will last for an extended period.”

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