Revamped Hanging Baskets

[vfem]

Before anyone chews me out, I helped talk hubby through doing these. I didn't wear myself, I just supervised!

Here's what we did with that burlap we bought. I absolutely love that the lime green burlap matches my front door. I have 2 of these hanging baskets flanking each side of the door and they really pop.

 

[lesa]

Nice! I love that color... my back door and door out to the deck, are painted that color.
What are the flowers? The pic is a little blurry, I can't tell. I have a terrible time keeping hanging baskets alive... they always look so glorious in the spring! Hope you are feeling better!

 

[canesisters]

Pretty! Is that a pot inside the burlap? What a great idea. I always have the worst luck with everything in my baskets getting toasted - a pot would help insulate the soil from the sun :coolsun

 

[vfem]

Ok, I thought this was fun... Lesa, you can appreciate this.

Usually I forget to water them once, and they just up and die. Too expensive to keep replacing them. So, I bought purple bell flowers in gallon pots. (The cheap plastic pot they come in) Hubby cut the bottoms out of the plastic pots (and about 2" up the sides), then I wrapped that black pot in the lime green burlap. Then with the industral burlap I lined the hanging basket. Inside the basket I put a diaper! Thank you Pintrest! I fill around the diaper with dirt I mixed, potting soil with a bit extra fertilizer, set the pot over the soil lined diaper, and then filled the rest of the basket with dirt up the side of the burlap wrapped pot. I then gave it a good soaking. The diaper will hold some of the moisture in so it won't dry out so fast. These things are SUPER perky. Way fuller today then they were when I transplanted them. What you see is the finished product like 10 minutes after we hung them.

I'll try to get better shots, that photo was with my phone and instagram editing.

 

[lesa]

I keep saying I am going to try the diaper idea... let us know how it works for you. Glad they are taking right off!

 

[Carol Dee]

LOVE the diaper idea. My core lined baskets just let water run right through it took lots of water and EVERY day in the heat last summer. (And the birds where pulling them apart for nesting materila!) So I had given them up and went back to the plastic pots which I was not thrilled with the look. The burlap looks great.

 

[secuono]

How do people keep plants in hung baskets alive?
The stuff drains so darned fast and the plants just die in no time. I'd have to water them several times a day!
Actually, I ended up adding a plastic bag to the bottom, so the last 3in end up holding water...

 

[thistlebloom]

Hanging baskets actually do have to be watered daily. Just one of those things.

One thing that doesn't help is that once the soil drys out it pulls away from the sides of the pot and so the water just runs right out the drain holes without wetting the soil.

That can be remedied by taking it down and soaking it in a bucket of water until you don't see any more bubbles coming up from the soil.
After a good soaking like that you can usually keep up with it by just watering every day until the water runs over the top sides.

 

[bj taylor]

the diaper is a super good idea. I never have pretty hanging baskets. I always admire them when I see them

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i find that the pots you get already planted from stores do worse with drying out than the ones i've planted myself.