 |
 |
|
This year we have some great varieties we are introducing, check them out: |
SunPatiens® Hanging Basket
VIVA! SunPatiens – Finally! An impatiens for Full Sun!
New for 2007 are a dark lavender and a bold, brassy, variegated leaved salmon. EASY to grow – plant in full sun, water and you’re done.
Angelart® Nemesia Hanging Basket
A HUGE breakthrough with new Nemesia ‘AngelArt' series – they have big flowers – they have nice fragrance – they have great colors – they bloom all summer. You must try this flower! Plant them anywhere – but best to put them in a spot you can enjoy the sweet fragrance – like a deck, patio or entrance to your home.
'Callie™ Orange' Calibrachoa Hanging Basket
One great, bold color - a vibrant orange flower will cover this easy-to-grow spreading plant. Use in baskets or cascade over the side of a patio pot. Best in full to part day sun. Likes extra time-released plant food. Add some white bacopa to basket for nice contrast.
Designer Peppermint Twist Geranium Hanging Basket
Wonderful flower pattern with streaks of white and rose · Removing dead flowers encourages more blooms · Easy to grow in patio pots or flower beds. Add blue scaevola to basket for sharp look.
Learn more here
Geranium Aquarello Hanging Basket
A stunning apple blossom color • Shows more pink during cooler parts of the year • A gorgeous and easy to grow plant • Removing dead flowers encourages more blooms. Add white alyssum for contrast to basket and to fill up space under the geranium.
Lemon Zest™ Petunia Hanging Basket
Zesty lemon-yellow color • Adds highlight and sparkle to your garden • Easy to grow with nice mounded shape. Petunias are heavy feeders so add some extra time-released plant food. Interplant with orange osteo or marigolds for a fun basket.
MiniFamous™ Double Pink Calibrachoa Hanging Basket
The first calibrachoa with a carnation-like double flower • Easy-to-grow, spreading and cascading • If it starts to look shaggy give a hard pinch or a haircut to force new branching. Allow to cascade from baskets or patio pots. MiniFamous is a heavy feeder; use time-released plant food.
Nirvana™ Vinca Hanging Basket
A tough Vinca that loves full sun and heat, with the strength not to melt badly under rain and irrigation. 2" - 3" flowers. We like to use a mulch with Vinca to help against intense heat. Wonderful in garden beds or patio pots. Add white bacopa as a compliment flower in a basket.
NonStop® Mocha Begonia Hanging Basket
Amazing chocolate-brown leaves frame the 3" double flowers that are in a range of colors. Ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes, or any patio container. Easy to grow! White alyssum will add nifty contrast to dark foliage.
Petunia 'Lavender Glow' Hanging Basket
Fun color with blue tones under a dark lavender. We love this color! A perfect basket petunia because it will keep flowering all season. We suggest using a time-release plant food on petunias. If you are brave with color add yellow Bidens for contrast or white bacopa as filler.
Veranda Scutellaria Hanging Basket
At last! A shade-loving, heat-loving blue flower. Dark blue/purple flowers born above glossy dark green leaves. Cascades over the sides of baskets, patio pots, and window boxes.
World's Best™* Spreading Petunia Hanging Basket
We found what we think is the very best of the new spreading-type petunias. We have the best colors, the strongest plants and flowers that will bloom all year. No more bald petunias, no more tired plants with flowers just at the tips – these are FANTASTIC. This isn’t just a petunia, it’s a ground cover!
It is an amazing time for basket and patio flowers. Over the past few years we have seen an explosion of new items such as Nemesia, Calibrachoa and VIVA! Sunpatiens® – as well as new breeding in old time favorites – flowers such as Begonia ‘Mocha’.
Here are a few tricks we use to keep our patio planters and baskets looking great all year.
First – there is no such thing as an ugly puppy or a bad flower combination. Plant colors and shapes that you like and enjoy. We tend to like to mix heights and textures – but if you prefer the basket to just have one item in it that is great. If you decide later to change it – that is all part of gardening.
Second – plant it is a full or as light as you want. Years ago we tended to plant just a few items into each patio pot – and give everything room to grow while the past few years the rule of thumb is to stuff as many flowers in as you can. Both will be fine – you may have to ‘thin’ down the stuffed patio planter before too long and your well spaced planting will take a little time to fill out – but both are fine – it is all about what you like.
Third – use a good potting mix and time release plant foods. The potting mix is critical – you can get by with ‘just’ garden soil but that tends to be too heavy and it may dry unevenly. Patio planters and baskets dry out quickly as they getting baked by the sun and dried by the wind. We prefer a well draining potting mix that will dry out uniformly and handle the frequent watering that needs to happen with patio pots. Also, because the plants are always getting watered the plants foods tend to wear out very fast – they ‘leech away’. The ideal combo in our book is the following:
- Use a fluffy potting soil with good water and air movement.
- Use a time release plant food such as Osmocote® and mix into the soil as you plant.
- During the growing season use a liquid water based plant food such as Miracle-Gro® every few weeks.
- Yes – you can reuse your potting soil after winter. You want to make sure it is still ‘fluffy’ and allows water through it. If water puddles on top of the soil it is time to get fresh potting soil. It is better to use fresh every year if you can– just throw your old soil onto your veggie garden or flower beds.