How To Line A Hanging Basket & Playing With Ornamental Cabbages

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Aha!

Many of you may find yourself in the same predicament that I did about a week ago. Summer is over and the baskets that held the annuals and bedding plants so well are now empty and a little tatty.

Case in point.

So instead of emptying them and leaving them dormant for the winter I have set about giving them a nice new lining (a basket’s equivalent of a new Winter coat) and some ASTOUNDING Winter colour ( a basket’s equivalent of a brand new pair of boots)

I used two pieces of Natural Moss Look liner per basket. They were not pre-cut which meant I could place them in the baskets and trim off any excess. The front and bottom of the basket were covered first and held in place with thin covered garden wire that is easy to poke through the lining and twist in to place. I suppose you can use twine if you find it more aesthetically pleasing. I think if I were doing these again I would use twine but to be honest working with the wire made the whole job not only work but also made it a great deal faster!

I placed the second piece of lining down the back of the basket and made sure that it overlapped with the piece that was already in place on the bottom so there would be no holes for soil to pour out of.

I attached this second piece to the back of the basket using the same ‘loop through the basket’ method.

Although the lining itself is polythene lined for improved water retention I placed a thick piece of polythene in to the bottom of the basket to create a pool.

And there you have it.

It looks like a cosy upside-down hat don’t you think?

No?

Neither do I really but it certainly looks like a nice hanging basket.

Finished!

Nice and symmetrical.

If you know anything about me you’ll know that I love my symmetry.

In to my new baskets I placed ornamental cabbages also known as Ornamental Kale. Bliss! I love, love, love these splashes of vibrant cabbagyness.

Kanome White.

Northern Lights Red.

And a ridiculously beautiful one which looks great by my potted Hydrangea but from which I have mislaid the tag.

An aerial shot.

Utter bliss.

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to get this corner sorted out and hopefully leave it alone for the foreseeable future. Although I will bring the Hydrangeas inside when it really starts to turn.