Hanging Flower Baskets

When spring arrives it seems that there are just not enough hours in the day to complete everything that needs to be done. Once the ground thaws and the plants begin to grow I want to spend as much time as possible digging in the dirt and planning for the flowers that I will put in the containers around the house and deck.

All we can ever do in the way of good to people is to encourage them to do good to themselves.
Author: Randolph Bourne

The first trip to the nursery each spring is the most exciting. After months of looking at snow and dormant plants, it is truly a joy to see fresh green plants and colorful blooms.

Each year before I go to the nursery I try to make out a list of what I need for the various pots that I plant as well as my hanging flower baskets. In years past I used to decide what I was going to put in the pots and baskets prior to going to the nursery. I found that this did not work out very well because either the nursery did not have the plants that I was counting on or they had a plant that I decided I liked better.

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
Author: Anthony J. D'Angelo

Now I go to the nursery with the number of pots and baskets that I want to fill and decide on the arrangements once I have seen the plants available. It is always tempting to buy the planter and hanging flower baskets that are already planted and blooming. I refrain from doing this however because I already have the pots and plant hangers at home and the plants that are in full bloom early in the spring have a tendency to look worn out and dull by mid summer.

For my hanging flower baskets I look for plants that will trail down the sides of the basket. I like to include a variety of plants and colors so that it remains healthy and bright colored throughout the growing season. I like to experiment with putting bold colors together that would seem to clash if they were not flowers. I have found that some of my favorite pots have involved placing unlikely colors together. Bright orange and purple are a great combination especially if there is some yellow also in the container. I also use a variety of plants in the same container to create interesting textures and greens. Usually you cannot go wrong placing growing things together. Things from nature seem to compliment each others differences in a way that man could learn a great lesson from. I am looking forward to watching my containers and hanging flower baskets flourish in the sun.

So many candles...so little cake
Author: unknown