Home is where the hanging basket is
Home is where the hanging basket is
To
me, nothing makes a house seem more like a home than a
hanging basket floating
welcomingly at the entrance –
especially if it’s filled with vintage flowers like the
sweet william. In
fact, this ornamental plant is perfect
for hanging - especially with pansies and lobelia around
the
outside - as it tends to sit neatly in a little
mound, rather than growing free-form across
the
basket.
If you’ve already cottoned on to the
hanging basket trend and have a couple at your place, you
may
have noticed they’re due for a refresh. Sweet
william is the perfect replacement plant, with
the
biennial giving you bright, colourful flowers from
spring until autumn.
But it’s not all about hanging
baskets. Sweet william also does nicely in pots, is great
for borders
and ground cover, and makes pretty cut
flowers (just asked Kate Middelton who used it in
her
bridal bouquet when she married…uhem…sweet
William. And don’t even ask how I know that).
Wherever
you decide to plant, make sure it’s a sunny spot and that
the soil is rich and well-drained.
Simply dig a little
hole, insert your seedling and space each plant about 20cm
apart. That really is
most of the hard work done.
The
thing I like about sweet william is it may look delicate,
but when it comes to growing its pretty
hardy and simply
gets on with the job. It will even tolerate cool mornings
and over-head watering,
and will thrive happily without
any deadheading.
In no time your plants will reach a
delicate height of 25cm – just about perfect for your
hanging
basket.
To get your hands on our tall mixed
sweet william seedings, pop into your local Bunnings,
The
Warehouse or supermarket. Or head to our online store
at www.awapuni.co.nz and have
your
seedlings delivered direct to your door.
Tod
Palenski
Awapuni Nurseries
www.awapuni.co.nz