Pelargonium produce an abundance of flowers throughout summer, and work well with other bedding plants to make the perfect, long-lasting hanging basket display. Here, the nemesia and disacia are ideal for growing at the centre of the basket, while trailing pelargoniums should be planted around the edge, to fall over the sides. Deadhead spent flowers regularly and cut the nemesia down after flowering, to encourage a second flush of blooms.

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You Will Need

  • Pelargonium 'Trailing Mexicana' plants
  • Pelargonium 'Salmon Queen' plants
  • Diascia 'Romeo Pink'
  • Nemesia 'Pink Princess'
  • Hanging basket and liner
  • Sphagnum moss (ethically sourced)
  • Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
  • Water-retaining granules
  • Slow-release fertiliser

Step 1

Lining the basket with sphagnum moss
Lining the basket with sphagnum moss

Prop the basket in a bucket or plant pot, to make planting easy, and line it with sphagnum moss or an alternative.

Step 2

Adding plastic to the basket to aid water retention
Adding plastic to the basket to aid water retention

Add a piece of plastic – such as from an old compost bag – to the inside of the moss, to help retain moisture. Cut a few drainage holes in the plastic.

Step 3

Adding compost to the hanging basket
Adding compost to the hanging basket

Fill the basket two-thirds with multi-purpose compost, and add water-retaining gel, mixing it in with the compost.

Step 4

Adding compost around the newly planted plants
Adding compost around the newly planted plants

Add the nemesia and diascia to the centre of the basket, then the pelargonium and diascia plants around the edge. Fill in-between the roots with compost, leaving a gap of around 2cm between the top of the compost and the basket's rim.

Step 5

Adding slow-release fertiliser
Adding slow-release fertiliser
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Add slow-release fertiliser pellets to the compost around the plants. Water in well and leave the basket to drain before hanging in position.

Kevin Smith says...

Line hanging baskets with moss raked from your lawn – it’s just as good as anything you can buy with the added bonus of know it’s ethically sourced. Grass clippings lined with plastic also work well.
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