Jenny, our bedding plant expert, has shared with us her top tips for planting the very best Winter baskets this year! Have a look at this step by step guide to recreate your own this year.
Side filling basket
You will need:
1 basket
Multi-purpose compost with John Innes
Miracle Gro continuous release plant food
1 Small bag of moss
3 Trays of pansies/violas
3 Mini grasses
3 Mini heathers
1 Gold crest
Bulbs (Tete a tete)
Start by removing one of the chains to your basket. This will make it easier to work with.
Fill your basket 1/3 of the way up with moss, covering the bottom like a bowl. Fill this in with Multi-purpose compost with some slow release plant food mixed in. Winter baskets grow much slower than Summer baskets so it is important they are having a continuous feed.
Lay six pansy/viola plants around the basket with their flowers and leaves poking out, and their roots facing the centre of the basket.
Add some more moss around the edges of your basket so that it is now 2/3 full. Fill in the centre with some more compost. Make sure you leave some space at the top!
Use three mini heathers poking out the sides in a triangle shape and fill the remaining gaps with more pansies/violas.
Lay the last of the moss around the edges of the basket right to the top and fill it up with more compost!
You can choose whatever centrepiece you wish to add to your pot. Jenny's favourites are a goldcrest, mini heather, starter skimmia or a mini grass! Plant whichever you choose in the centre and underplant this with some bulbs. We chose Tete a Tete due to them being a dwarf flower. These will begin to bloom in the Early Spring!
Finally, add three mini grasses, in a triangle, and fill in the gaps with the final tray of pansies/violas, planted into the compost.
Voila! You have a wonderful Winter basket which will keep on flowering right into the
Spring!
