How to care for winter baskets from winter through to spring

Now is the perfect time to start prepping the garden for winter. As the weather starts to get cooler, many tasks such as weeding, clearing up garden beds and starting your winter baskets are good to start before the frost starts to settle in. Plus, with some simple planning and care, you can create stunning seasonal displays for that uplift of colour during the coldest months.

Here are our tips on prepping your winter baskets and how to care for them through to spring.

A bright, cold-season floral feature is a great way to perk up a garden when the temperature starts to hit low.

As you’re choosing what to plant in your hanging baskets, you can find an array of plants that are able to offer more than just colour, but a variety of textures, foliage and eye-catching forms too - such as ivy, pansies and thyme.

Irrigatia’s resident gardener, George, has opted for pansies and ivy in his winter basket - head over to our Instagram for his latest updates!

When planting your basket, it’s important to establish what will be at the front - you should face this towards you in order to figure out where to place the best plants and if you’re using a wire basket, make sure to line this before creating your display.

You can start to half fill the basket with compost and as you begin to arrange the plants, it is usually easiest to start with a focal plant which can be used to create structure. This is particularly important during the colder months should any companions fail to flower. Once you have set your central plant, try trailing some plants around the sides which will wonderfully bloom and flower reliably.

After you’ve added your extra plants, you can then decide on the finishing touches. Carefully fill up the basket with more compost- ensuring there are no large air gaps and add any additional plants to complete your winter hanging basket.

Keep your garden baskets within a greenhouse for the first few weeks after creating them. This is so the plants are well established and begin to flower before moving them to their final destination. It’s also important to remember that even though winter baskets are fairly easy to maintain and do not dry out as quickly in the winter months, you must frequently check in whilst regularly deadheading any fading plants.

Before filling your basket with compost, you will need to consider how you will water it. As plants grow better with rainwater, our SMART Irrigation systems are a great solution to help your winter features thrive. Not only will you be saving water, but time and money too as the controllers uniquely use solar power to detect the weather and alter watering conditions accordingly.

Finally, don’t forget to harden off the baskets by acclimatising them. Try to fully vent the greenhouse for a few days then put your curated basket outside when the weather is reasonably forgiving.

As for displaying your new winter hanging basket, they can highly benefit from a sheltered and sunny spot and can encourage wildlife into your garden too!

Look out for our latest video where our resident gardener takes you through a step-by-step guide on preparing your winter baskets.

For more gardening tips and ways to save time and water, take a look through our latest blogs.

Remember to follow our social media channels to keep up to date with our latest growing journeys in the Irrigatia garden!