Its easy to create a great looking Petunia basket like this - Petunias just love the sun and are ideal plants for Summer.
And the photos below are designed to be pretty self explanatory.
However we added our comments and share some tips along the way
Choose a coco-fiber lined hanging basket and a good quality potting mix - we like one with a slow release fertilizer already included.
Miracle Grow has a good range of potting mixes - these are available from most garden centers or from the garden section in many larger stores.
Fill your hanging basket with potting soil to about half way up. This Petunia comes in a large pot so it is likely to have a large root ball, and we need to leave room for this.
Always add a good slow release fertilizer to the soil in your hanging basket - many slow release fertilizers say they have a 3 or 4 month release period. These are the best fertilizers to look for.
Now your ready to plant your plants into your hanging basket.
Gently prize them out of their trays and loosen and of the roots that appear tangled or matted. In some cases pansy's or violas roots can become very matted to-wards the bottom - if this is the case use a knife to cut a cross in the bottom of the root ball and this will encourage the roots to keep growing and give you a stronger plant.
As you are filling your hanging basket with potting mix - make sure you leave a 1-2 inch lip from the top of the soil to the top of your container.
This makes for a well which allows the water to drain through the soil vs having most of the water spilling or running over the top and not really soaking the soil.
A rigid chain makes life easy. Garden Squirrel offers these patent pending items - which are just great. Here you can see how the chain stays erect on its own allowing you to move and hanging your hanging basket with ease.
Once your hanging basket is planted, its time to give it a gentle watering. Try not to use water that is too cold as this will shock the plants.
Also avoid putting the plants that have been watered in a full sun situation as they are likely to burn. For the first few days, hanging them in a sheltered position, with lots of morning sun is an ideal approach.
Once you have planted and watered your hanging basket get ready to enjoy.
Happy gardening from us here at Garden Squirrel
Garden Squirrel.com
