Get practical with parsley and pretty with pansies

Get practical with parsley and pretty with pansies

I’ve said it before, but hanging baskets really are the garden for anyone.

Got a couple of acres with every fruit, vege, herb and flower you can think of? Hanging baskets are perfect for growing the plants you use regularly – like herbs – and hanging near the kitchen door.

Live in a small apartment on the 10th floor of a city building? Hanging baskets will add colour, scent and a bit of the outdoors to any living space – no matter how small.

As I like to say, they are the perfect combination of practical and pretty. So this month I’m going to show you how to plant a hanging basket. You can grow virtually whatever you want in a basket, but I’m going to stick with the theme and plant practical parsley and pretty pansies.

So get down to your local supermarket, Bunnings, or The Warehouse and grab a Pop’n’Grow pot or Traditional Value bundle of parsley and pansies. Alternatively, head to our online store [www.awapuni.co.nz] and get the plants delivered right to your door.

While you’re out get yourself a hanging basket, a plastic saucer, some potting mix and some sphagnum moss or coconut fibre.

Whether you use coconut fibre or sphagnum moss will depend on the type of basket you have and the look you’re going for. If the wire on your basket is widely spaced you’ll need to use coconut fibre as the moss will fall through the gaps. (We used coconut fibre in the photos).

To assemble your hanging basket, start with a thin layer of sphagnum moss or the coconut fibre, and line the base. Place a plastic saucer on top of the moss or coconut to stop water pouring straight out of the basket. If you’re using moss you can now add another layer. Then fill the basket to the top with potting mix.

Make a little hole in the middle and plant a parsley seedling. Continue until you’ve planted all the parsley seedlings in the middle. Then plant the pansies around the outside.

Pansies will flower best when placed in the sunniest spot. They’ll also benefit from a little liquid fertiliser.

But remember not to over water. They like a well-drained area – which is why they’re great for baskets – and don’t need a lot of water in winter.

If you’re not sure whether you should water them, then put your finger in the soil and test. If it’s still moist, don’t add any water.

And that’s how you plant a practical but pretty hanging basket.
ends

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