Friday, April 3, 1992 — North Shore News ~- 47

Making a case for baskets

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Traditional wire moss baskets ideal for Pacific Northwest hanging flowers

LAST WEEK I started telling you about some of the
things I thought you might find helpful in starting your
own baskets at home. The first was a recommendation that
you consider the moss basket as your number one choice.

Geoff
Tobiasson

For the sake of those literal-
minded Lucys out there, I suppose
we should take the time to define
the moss basket. Even though
moss could be considered the ter-
ritorial plant for the region, the
Moss Basket is not the Pacific
Northwest’s answer to the Rose
Bowl or the Cotton bow!.

The traditional moss basket is a
wire frame, lined with moss, then
filled with soil and planted with a
colorful assortment of summer
annuals. Once you have set your
eyes on a decent example of one
of these dangling delights, no
other type of hanging flower
display seems worthwhile.

The wire frames needed for
construction are available at most
garden shops. It should be a min-
imum of 16 inches in diameter
and 12 inches deep. Do not let
price tempt you into purchasing
too small a size.

The whole point to their being
mentioned in last week’s column
was to sing the praises of the large
soil volurne that this type of
planter can supply.

You should remember this
large, heavy soil volume when
looking for a good, strong hook
from which to hang it. And do
not forget to pick up the three- or
four-strand hanger that comes
with the frame.

The Pacific Northwest is a good
place to grow moss; most of our
lawns are full of it. As this is the
Most appropriate time of the year
to de-thatch the lawn, it should
supply all you need for your
baskets.

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

I just did a small 24-inch by
24-inch section in the shade of my
back yard and got enough geod
quality moss to supply a good siz-
ed basket. If you are the type of
show-off gardener who has a
moss-free lawn, your local garden
centre will happily supply you.

Starting with the bottom of the
first two or three inches of the
side, line the inside of your basket
with a one-inch layer of moss.

Stick two or three trailing plants
such as Silver Nettie Vine
(lamiastrum galeobdolon
‘*Variegatum’’) or Napeta
(glechoma hederacea ‘‘Variegata’’)
out through the moss at the bot-
tom, leaving the roots on the in-
side to be covered with the first
layer of soil.

The best method for planting

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SOME PRODUCTS MAY REQUIRE PRODUCTION TIME

your moss basket is to do so in
layers. Line one or two inches of
the side with moss, push a few
flowering plants through the moss
and frame, add soil and then start
another layer. Setting your basket
in an empty bucket might help
you support it while you work
without crushing the plants at the
bottom.

The soil mix should be a well-
developed compost from your
garden, supplemented with
bonemeal. Bonemeal is full of the
organic nutrients needed to feed
your flowering plants and
moisture-retentive fibre to supply
them with water throughout the
hot summer months.

A good blend for your project
would include half a cubic foot of
commercial potting mix blended
with a quarter cubic foot of com-
posted mushroom manure and 2
quarter cubic foot of vermiculite
per basket. Add one heaping
teaspoon of bonemeal and two of
dolomite lime to boost the avail-
able phosphorus and lower the
soil acidity.

Once you have filled your
basket, attach your wire hangers,
being sure to twist the strands
around the vertical as well as the

horizontal portions of the frame.

Wrap a final layer of moss over
the rim and use a fork to pry out
bits on the sides to hide the wires.
Now plant the top and give your
finished basket a final, thorough
soaking.

After doing such a masterful
job creating your basket, why not
take the time to look after it pro-
perly throughout the months
ahead?

This begins with the right care
in early spring, prior to hanging
them in their permanent outdoor
locations. On the day 1 wrote this
article, the temperature must have
teached 20°C or more. Your new
moss baskets will benefit greatly
by spending days such as these out
of doors.

However, the temperature
quickly fell to single digits over-
night and this would not be ap-
preciated in the least. It’s OK to
put your baskets out early on
mild, sunny days but keep them
indoors on chilly nights or during
periods of cold, wet weather.
Consider this the law until you
can be sure the temperature will
not drop below 10°C.

The single most important
aspect of summer care is the

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adoption of regular watering prac-
tices. On average, you should
water a minimum of every other
morning and increase that to daily
applications during excessively
hot, dry periods.

I hope you took the time to add
organic sources of nutrients such
as bonemeal and compost. In ad-
dition, you should consider bi-
weekly applications of water-
soluble fertilizers such as 20-20-
20. Your plants are living in close
quarters and this extra boost will
ensure that afl have sufficient
nutrients on which to flourish.

‘‘Deadheading’’ your plants is
the term given to the practice of
removing spent flowers. This is a
good habit to get into, not only to
increase the quantity and size of
the blooms, but to reduce the oc-
currence of disease.

This kind of regular attention
will help you to become more
alert to the presence of invading
insects as well. The sooner you see
them, the sooner you can elimi-
nate them.

Well, that is about it. 1 hope ~
you have some fun with this and I
look forward to admiring your ef-
forts as I drive the streets in your
neighborhood.

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