Hanging baskets and window boxes - Page 2

Thanks Rain.  Very colourful.  I do have some tumbler tomato seeds I can try round by the greenhouse or even in front of the garages where they'll be in full sun and near the tap but I need something more flamboyant for the front door.

The Thompson & Morgan Begonias were amazing last year. I had massive hanging baskets full to the brim. T&M have a new pink version out for 2013 which im going to try. 

Lovely baskets Rain

I found some olivey green bin bags in Sainsburys a couple of years - I use these to line my wall baskets as they are not too 'in your face '

Pam LL x

I'm going to try some trailing begonia's this year for the first time they look so delicate but I do hope they have some strength in them as where I hang the baskets it does quite windy and likely to get battered.

Hi Obelixx! Get well soon.  White bacopa + purple brachyscome or felicia + purple heuchera + ophiopogon + echeveria, underplanted with white muscari bulbs and maybe even narcissus Thalia is a nice subtle combo, especially in a basket that's ornamental in itself, like wicker. Long season too, and u end up with stuff you can plant out and keep. For full flower power, I do million bells + bacopa, + something upright in the middle (like pelargonium or diascia or nerine or anything available really) + yellow variagated ivy + brachyscome (or any daisy-type jobbie). Colours are usually white plus mauve and lemony yellow. You can pick up the yellow with the middles of the other flowers. If you don't want the yellow, sub in a second shade of purple and use plectranthus instead of ivy. This is the only colour combo I dont end up sick of by mid August. Plus, if you use white and pale yellow, its very forgiving of the whites not being identical. Unlike other colours, which to me clash horribly unless every plant is exactly the same shade. Purples not too bad, but reds?! Yucksome. Don't know what your op was or how elective the timing, but nice one doing it during the winter!! I had a knee faffed with last year and it totaly spoiled the entire season. Saying that, I ruined it with some ill-advised mega-gardening, so its probably karma... 

Hello Betty.  Thanks for the advice on colours and combos.   I agree about your white and purpley colours and they'd look well against our red brick façade.   I've spent the last two days sorting out and cataloguing my seeds stash and found some mauve, scented nemesia seeds so will have a go at germinating those.   OH took me out to buy compost and seed trays but no basket liners or plugs in stock yet.  

I've been having foot surgery to fix toes that had gone adrift  - straightening the big toe and shortening the next two metatarsals and reattaching their toes.  My surgeon is a magician and it's all gone very well and with very little post op pain.   I should be able to do some light gardening in a couple of weeks' time and then will have 4 weeks to blitz the winter weeds and dead stems before he does the other foot.   I hope your knee perks up and behaves itself.  You too.

Oh that sounds awful obelix please do be careful,  I was still in pot this time last year so I can relate to not been able to do much in the garden, just take your time and make sure you have healed properly before doing stuff in the garden.

It does sound quite extreme but in fact the whole procedure has gone very well and I'm relatively mobile for short periods with my crutches.   Just have to behave and keep my foot up most of the time.   The other foot will be done in April and I hope to be fully mobile in time for the summer sales - just think of all the new shoes I'll need!  Then I'll ease myself back into dog walking again and then dancing by next September.

I can always do some gardening on my bum or knees and sowing seeds and potting on can be done seated.   

It's amazing what you can do on the knee's in the garden it's getting back up again that stopped me for a while,  I didn't get my pot off till 1st March so it was on for nearly 12 weeks so was a sick as could be fortunately I got the best weather for sitting out in which was April then it just rained forever,  all the Sweet Peas I'd sown in the October had died simply because with being in hospital then unable to get outside they didn't get looked after,  and really the garden last year was just lost to itself,  so I'm hoping this year we get some decent warm weather so I can have a nice garden.

Me too.  Last year was a gardening dead loss between Jan and May for other reasons and then we had that deradful summer with too much rain and not enough warmth and light.

Fingers crossed we all have a better time this year.

Ha, just imagining u shuffling round the garden on ur bum. I actually did a bit of that myself last year! Trouble with a gammy knee is, you're fine up and fine down, but getting from one to t'other is a real skill when you can only bend one leg. And I'm 5'10" so its a long way down!! Get well - I think some time spent sitting with your foot up pricking out etc sounds just what you need. Here's to a better year for all of us in every way. Bx

Hi Betty.   Is you knee a permanent fixture or to be mended?

I've been out pruning clematis and sedums and such like and pottering with pots of hostas and stuff that OH has brought out of their winter hibernation in the greenhouse.    All very satisfying but the foot is now swollen and sore again so is propped up while I blob on the sofa.    I sowed a few seeds mid week and already have baby tumbler tomatoes shwoing through so opportunities for pricking out are limited as yet.  However,, now th egreenhouse is empty I can get cracking on more sowing.  

Hi obelixx,  I set some seeds away on Friday after bringing one of plastic gh's into the kitchen as it's still far to cold here to set seed and the Cosmos have already sprouted so I shall be pricking out soon,  fortunately the gh outside has a fleece cover on it  so they will go there,  I have another 22 packets of seeds to do yet so going to be busy,  On the subject of hanging baskets I'm undecided as to whether to use my easy fill ones this year as I'm finding it rather hard now to lift them when they are full as they do take a lot of plants,  5 round the side and at least 5 on the top if not more,  I do have 6 lovely blue wicker Laura Ashley ones so might just stick with them but then it depends again on the weather,  I do hope we have a Summer this year