Hi guys

3 questions,

1) whens best to put hanging baskets out?
2) last year my old neighbour had fabulous hanging baskets, they were all the same flower but a mass off them they where huge they looked similar to petunias but they was hundreds of flowers on them and they where huge and perfectly round - any ideas of what flowers these might have been or how to get the look?
3) wheres the best place to buy plants from - we only really have b and q clsoe to us and no good garden centres so not sure if anyone has bought them online or from a catelgoe before? (I dont have space for green house so couldnt buy seeds etc to bring on they would need to be ready to go?)

May after the frosts have gone,

could of been trailing Begonia's there are easy to grow

I would be careful buying on line i did for the first time last year and the large plug plants were in a awful condtion

I am going to stick to either my local nurseries and also homebase are good

oh when you get your plants get ones ready to go straight out ie not plug plants they need to go into a green house first jumbo plug plants are better, late april they should be in stores

Tesco's have great offers on plants right now. My friend for the past few years has got hers from there and they survive and always look very good.. Helped her repot some the other day. Think 2 for £2.50 at the mo.

1.After the possibility of frosts has gone
2.Could have been Senetti, but you can use Double Bizzie Lizzies, Surfinia or any trailing plant Have a look here for some ideas
3.This might be of help

the old gardeners saying is " dont shout till Mays out "!
means dont plant beeding and other non hardy plants until 1st June.

> the old gardeners saying is " dont shout till Mays out "!
>

I thought it was ' cast neer clout till May is out' - meaning don't go without your coat/outer clothes until after May when the weather is generally warmer .

>don't go without your coat/outer clothes until after May

Or until the may (hawthorn) is out - ie in flower. This is usually late April (in the south) or early May (further north).

Do you have a market or car boot sale near you, I find these are usually cheaper than the big stores or garden centres, and I wouldn't put them out till May either. :-)

Dont cast a clout till May is out. It seems its also don't put your hanging baskets out either. I buy from our local garden centre and it went on for eons last year I got one that was all white flowers and it was reallylovely. I also do about 40/50 pots which are all daffs and hyasinths in all different colours. I did my own hanging baskets but the garden centre one's lasted longer. Roll on more sunshine.

Try geraniums (or pelagoniums as they're actually called).  they do upright & trailing & they don't suffer drought as much as most of the pretty flowers that tend to be put in hanging baskets.  Also they're easy to dead head (unlike surfinia's/petunias etc, which are sticky, horrible & apparently dreadful for hayfever sufferers).

Me, I grow weeds by the bucket load.  Spent half an hour arguing in the wind with some weed suppressant stuff that dh had started to put out for me (mother's day present) but hadn't finished so I have black flappy stuff on my lawn instead of the flower bed.  Great, another thing for the muppet pup to be scared of :-D

When you put your compost into your pots or baskets, also add some slow release fertiliser pellets and some of that white granuler stuff that holds moisture,. that way you feed all through the summer and your pots/baskets don't dry out too quickly. I always line mine with newspaper as well. Basket liner first, then newspaper, then compost with its additives. That helps to keep moisture in as well.