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FeaturesMay 17, 1995

Bedding plants are taking off -- off the ground that is, and into window boxes, containers, wall fixtures and hanging baskets. Of all the decorative uses for bedding plants, hanging baskets are perhaps the most attractive and versatile. More and more people are getting into the gardening act. Gone are the days of gardening being a relatively few rural and suburban dwellers. City people are enjoying gardening's great benefits in clever and attractive ways including the use of containers...

Bedding plants are taking off -- off the ground that is, and into window boxes, containers, wall fixtures and hanging baskets. Of all the decorative uses for bedding plants, hanging baskets are perhaps the most attractive and versatile.

More and more people are getting into the gardening act. Gone are the days of gardening being a relatively few rural and suburban dwellers. City people are enjoying gardening's great benefits in clever and attractive ways including the use of containers.

Container gardening, while new to many Americans, dates back to Roman times. The Romans created elaborate gardens inside their homes using ornate pots and other containers. Their primary focus was beautification of interior space. Today's container gardener can focus on any number of possible benefits, from maximum usage of limited space to limited use of water and fertilizer for maximum growth and production.

Hanging baskets gardens allow you to grow attractive plants in the most unlikely places. A basket or suspended planter can add a flowering annual or vining tomato to the porch or balcony without really taking up space. Hanging baskets display the most colorful blooms at eye level and can disguise a plain or unsightly view.

Numerous types of containers are available for hanging gardens. Any of them, whether plastic, wood or a wire basket lined with peat moss, will work fine. Containers should be lightweight and allow drainage.

Baskets hanging outdoors will require watering at least once a day, so they must be checked frequently. Larger containers, such as 10-12 inch pots, will need less frequent watering than the smaller ones. In addition to watering, fertilize your plants following the manufacturer's instructions. Be sure the baskets are attached securely with strong hooks. Swivel hooks are recommended for wind and open air tolerance. Strong hooks are essential since a basket plus moist soil can be quite heavy.

Most bedding annuals make attractive, instant baskets. When mixing different plants in a basket, start with more upright in the center, such as marigold, ageratum or coleus and then add trailing plants around the edge of the basket.

Some suggestions for vining plants are spreading vinca in new colors of pink, black-eyed Susan vine and the new Purple Wave petunia. Be sure the plants combined in baskets have similar sun requirements. In a shady location a good combination might include begonias with English ivy, coleus and impatiens. In a semi-shady spot, try browallia, lobelia or tuberous begonia. Good sun loving companions include ivy geranium, petunias, dusty miller, lantana and spider plants.

Place small purchased plants into a porous planting mix, never in garden soil. Commercially potting soil is sufficiently porous to allow good drainage. New on the market this year are special water saving mixes especially designed for planters and hanging basket gardening.

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Hanging baskets constructed of heavy wire are usually lined with sphagnum moss. M&M Nursery of Orange, Calif., has a new product called E-Z Liner, composed of a fitted pouch made of synthetic fiber that replaces the moss, and fits right down into the wire frame. Moss green in color, it blends with the plants, and when potting soil is added, it is ready to plant.

Of course, basket gardening is not just limited to flowers. Vegetables can be attractive in baskets and provide homegrown food, too. New varieties are being developed especially for container culture.

Bush type cucumbers do well in hanging pots or baskets. Plants trail about 12 to 24 inches. Keep them picked and more will come along for a continuing harvest.

Tomatoes are just about everyone's favorite vegetable. Pixie and other small ones are the best for a pretty picture of bright red fruit. Other cherry tomatoes are available.

For something different, grow hot-weather substitutes for spinach. Malabar Spinach and New Zealand Spinach are both good choices. They take summer heat and will thrive in partial shade as well as full sun.

As a real surprise, grow some nasturtiums. The young leaves have a delicately pungent flavor, good in salads or sandwiches.

Shepherd's Garden Seeds, 30 Irene Street, Torrington, Conn., 06790, features miniatures in their catalog along with special flowers for window boxes and containers.

Many herbs grow well in baskets, including parsley, lemon balm, chives, sweet marjoram, and rosemary. They also mix well with annuals.

Spruce up your home with a few baskets of flowers, vegetables and herbs.

~Mary Blue is an avid gardener and a resident of Cape Girardeau.

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