By Michelle Hall
It’s time to brighten your view with the Village of Ada’s annual hanging flower baskets! These lovely hanging gardens bring architectural interest to the downtown landscape and they’ll be making their 2023 debut at the end of May.
To learn more about the baskets and some helpful tips on how to create your own blooming masterpiece, I spoke with groundskeeper Connie Ziegler, who tends to the Village’s Depot garden and maintains the 56 baskets on Main Street. The following are Connie’s recommendations to create your own beautiful hanging flower basket:
PLANTING IDEAS
Q. Are there benefits to planting all the same type of flowers in a basket?
A. As long as they all require the same care, you should be able to plant all of one type of flower. Don’t mix succulents with water loving plants! Stick with one type of flower.
Q. What about a foliage-only basket? Can they be less difficult to care for?
A. They will still require constant care. For example, Boston Ferns require a lot of care. The best tip is to read the care instruction labels on plants you purchase.
CONTINUES
Q. If you live at a residence with little room to garden, are hanging baskets a good option to grow edibles such as strawberries or tomatoes?
A. It would probably not be your best choice because it would require more care than traditional planting methods. A better option for edibles would be placing pots on the ground rather than a hanging basket.
TIPS FOR DESIGNING YOUR BASKET
Q. How important is it for baskets to contain plants that all grow in the same growing conditions?
A. Very important.
Q. Is it a good idea to buy plants that don’t require deadheading for your baskets?
A. For downtown Ada, it would be difficult and time consuming to deadhead all 56 baskets! At your front door, however, you could do it easily! Go ahead!
HOW TO MAKE HANGING BASKETS LOOK FULL
Q. Do you recommend the trick of buying one plant that’s upright, one rounded, and one trailing plant to prevent any empty spots in your basket design?
A. You want something that is trailing and that will fill it out.
HOW MANY PLANTS ARE NEEDED
Q. What’s the best number to achieve a full looking basket?
A. Any size basket you chose, simply divide the circumference in half and that will tell you how many plants to add to your basket. For example, a 12” basket divide in half would equal 6 plants.
HOW TO PLANT THE BASKET
Q. What supplies are needed?
A. 12- 14” basket; prepackaged or your own mix of potting soil; for proper drainage, use coconut liners; add fertilizer throughout the summer (Connie fertilizes the baskets on main street every third watering and waters every other day); and of course flowers!
Q. Should I buy a larger basket (no less than 14 inches across) to prevent the hanging basket from drying out?
A. Doesn’t make a difference. It just depends on the size that you’re able to handle.
Q. Are there any liners needed?
A. Other than the coconut liner, you shouldn’t need anything else. If you chose not to do the coconut liners, you could use pretty much anything as long as it drains properly.
Q. Any specific potting soil mixes?
A. Equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite is the perfect potting soil mix for any variety of potted basket.
HOW TO KEEP HANGING BASKETS BLOOMING
Q. How often should the plants in the basket be watered?
A. They may need daily watering depending upon the temperature, whether they are in full-sun, if it’s a windy day, or there are dry conditions. Make sure you give them a thorough watering, you want to see the water drain out the bottom of the basket.
Q. Since hanging baskets need to be watered frequently, will this wash away the nutrients?
A. That’s why you must fertilize every three waterings.
Q. Should a water-soluble fertilizer be used and if so, how often?
A. Yes, it should be water-soluble. Water-soluble fertilizer is expensive, but a good tip is to search on Google for a cheaper, organic alternative you can make at home.
Q. When plants start getting a little leggy, should the stems be trimmed back by a third to encourage the plant to grow bushier and produce more flowers?
A. Yes, especially the ones not looking so good.
We never have to fear the Village Depot Park or downtown baskets ‘not looking so good’ because Connie will ensure they flourish all season long. Thank you, Connie, for tips on how to get the ‘hang’ of our hanging flower baskets!
If you would like to help keep Ada blooming, you can donate any amount to support the annual tradition of the Hanging Flower Baskets. Each basket is valued at $135.00. Your generous support for the beautification of Ada is greatly appreciated.
