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Why do my winter baskets always fail?
Q Every year I plant winter hanging baskets, but every year the flowers seem to fail, even the cyclamen. I line them with paper, water them well and add water-retaining gel so they don’t dry out. What am I doing wrong?
Terry Lees, via email
A I am sorry that your hanging basket plants have flopped, it is always a depressing sight when you have worked hard to keep them going.
I suspect that poor drainage is the cause. If excessive water remains around the roots and deprives them of oxygen, plants may die. As winters are becoming increasingly wet I would recommend you don’t add water-retaining granules to the compost when planting, as this on top of your regular irrigation and rainwater will keep the compost sitting too wet.
It may not be too late to help your baskets revive, though. Start by removing plants and reset your charges in fresh compost – a mix of two-thirds John Innes potting compost No2 and one third
