Happy Memorial Day!

To a lot of folks (yours truly included), nothing says “summer” like hanging baskets spilling over with colorful annuals. My absolute favorite is the kind made of openwork metal and fitted with a liner that holds the soil, but also allows you to plant right through it—thereby giving you a fabulous floral sphere. The inner holder may be made of plastic, sphagnum moss, or a moss substitute like coir fiber. A 16-inch basket will accommodate about 18 transplants. Good plant choices include petunias, ivy-leaved geraniums, impatiens, and (in the edible department) strawberries and “Tumbler” tomatoes. Here’s the simple process:

Step 1: Press the liner into place. If you’re using moss, soak it in warm water before pressing it into the basket.

Step 2: Cut a 3-inch slit in the side for each plant. Gently insert the roots through the opening.

Step 3: Pour in enough planting mix to reach just below the rim of the pot.

Step 4: Set in the remaining plants.

Step 5: Water thoroughly, and hang up the basket. Once the basket is hung, you can water it easily with a watering wand that fastens into the end of a garden hose. Or you can cover the soil with ice cubes, piled to the rim of the container, and let them melt.

Enjoy your beautiful hanging basket and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

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