Hanging Baskets

If using a mesh basket, you will need some form of liner to prevent the soil falling out. This could be plastic film, an artificial liner or moss. Moss ensures excellent drainage and high humidity both of which help the plants to grow well, but you will need to water more often than with the other liners which are easier to use, although you will usually have to punch holes in them to insert the plants.
The plastic pot type baskets can only be planted at the top and it's a simple procedure to fill with compost and put in the plants, remembering to leave space at the top for watering.
With wire baskets, when using moss, line the bottom of the basket with a layer of moss about 1in thick and build the moss up to about halfway up the sides. Then fill the centre with moist, good, free draining soil less compost, preferably one specially prepared for hanging baskets. Alternatively, you can make up your own by adding 20% Perlite to standard soil less potting compost, plus a wetting agent, water retention agent and a slow release fertilizer. These will ensure that the water is distributed evenly, that it is held for as long as possible and that the plants are fed through the season.
Insert the first layer of plants by carefully pushing the leaves through the mesh, pack plenty of moss around the plants and fill up the centre with compost, gently firming round the roots as you go. Make sure you leave a space large enough to take the roots of the plant, which is to go in the centre and build up the outer layer of moss as you go.
Before planting the top, first arrange the plants to their best effect and then plant firmly, making a slight dip in the centre to prevent run-off when watering. If possible, finish off the top with a layer of moss to improve the look of the basket and conserve water.
Provided you are using a good compost and you are prepared to feed and water regularly, you will find the best effect comes from putting plenty of plants in the basket. With bedding plants, it is a good rule of thumb to put in at least one plant per inch of basket diameter, which is 12 plants for a 12-inch basket. However if you are using only strongly growing plants such as Fuchsias or Geraniums, then it's better to restrict it to 5 per 12 inch basket.
Once planted, give the basket a good watering with a watering can with a rose on to settle the soil around the roots and stand it in a greenhouse for 2-3 weeks. If no greenhouse is available, then place in a cold frame, or failing this, outside in a shady, sheltered spot and bring it indoors each evening. During this period, turn the baskets each day to ensure even growth, dead head the flowers as they fade and pinch out the growing points of any long, straggly plants to ensure bushy plants.
When the plants are well established the weather is mild and warm, with all risk of frost having passed, the baskets can be hung in their final position. Use a suitably strong bracket, a 9in bracket is suitable for a 12in basket, and secure firmly. A sunny wall, which does not get too hot, facing S.E. or S.W., is best but avoid a windy spot. Unless you have used shade-loving plants, the basket should be in the sun for most of the day. Keep the compost moist but not water logged by frequent watering, usually once a day in hot weather. Water in the eve Griffinning for preference. You can tell whether a basket needs watering by testing with your fingers whether the top ½in of soil is dry. If the surface only is dry then leave for another day. When you water, water well, roughly giving about ½ gallon to each basket. It is essential the compost is neither too wet nor too dry as some plants, like lobelia for example, never recover from drying out.
From mid June onwards it's usually necessary to feed with a good liquid fertilizer once a week, or you can give a weekly feed of a high potash fertilizer to encourage flower production. Replace once a month with a high Nitrogen feed to prevent the foliage going yellow. Finally dead head the plants regularly, particularly Mimulus, Geraniums, Nasturtiums, and similar, to ensure a succession of flowers.