A Colorful Container Garden for Mild Climates

This basket is easier to plant up than an open-sided one because it already has a liner inside. Make a few drainage holes in the plastic before planting. You can use a range of foliage plants, including ones that typically grow large, like the yellow-leaved Choisya, since plants put on little growth in winter. Violas also flower reliably in cooler months, if kept in a sheltered spot.

Whem to Plant: Early autumn
At Its Best: Autumn to early spring
Time to Complete: 1 hour

Materials Needed:

• woven hanging basket
• scissors
• wide low pot
• container potting soil
• watering can

• Choisya ternata 'Sundance'
• deadnettle (Lamium maculatum 'Aureum'
• small ivies (Hedera helix)
• winter-flowering violas
• Eastern teaberry, checkerberry (Gaultheria procumbens)

Prepare the Basket

Place the basket on a low pot to stabilize it and punch a few drainage holes in the plastic liner. Half fill the basket with potting soil, then arrange your plants on top.

Finishing Touches

Remove the plants from their pots, place them in the basket and then firm them in with soil, and water well. Water baskets during dry spells.

Top Tip: Organic Basket Liner

For a natural, organic alternative to a plastic liner, use conifer clippings from a hedge or tree. These also help insulate the plants and will decompose over time and create an acidic soil environment, ideal for Gaultheria to thrive.

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