I recently went to a Winter Container demonstration at a local garden
centre... one of the things they showed us was mini daffs in hanging
baskets, all packed it quite tightly 9approx 60 bulbs in a 14" basket.

Anyway... I wondered if anyone had tried this, either with daffs or other
bulbs, and whether it was successful??

Thanks
Lisa

www.marshmallow.co.uk
www.cardsbylisa.co.uk

I recently went to a Winter Container demonstration at a local garden
centre... one of the things they showed us was mini daffs in hanging
baskets, all packed it quite tightly 9approx 60 bulbs in a 14" basket.

Anyway... I wondered if anyone had tried this, either with daffs or other
bulbs, and whether it was successful??

Yes, but you can add pansies and primulas, too.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the 'x' to email me)

Lisa wrote in message

I recently went to a Winter Container demonstration at a local garden
centre... one of the things they showed us was mini daffs in hanging
baskets, all packed it quite tightly 9approx 60 bulbs in a 14" basket.

Anyway... I wondered if anyone had tried this, either with daffs or other
bulbs, and whether it was successful??

One of my neighbours has done it for years, daffs, tulips, hyacinths all to
great effect. He was the Head Gardener in a Boroughs Parks Dept by the way.
--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here.

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 20:04:35 -0000, Jaffacake wrote:

I recently went to a Winter Container demonstration at a local garden
centre... one of the things they showed us was mini daffs in hanging
baskets, all packed it quite tightly 9approx 60 bulbs in a 14" basket.

Anyway... I wondered if anyone had tried this, either with daffs or other
bulbs, and whether it was successful??

The City of Victoria, BC, Canada (not where I live -- I'm in a
suburban municipality) has had summer hanging baskets for about
fifty years. Naturally, the thought of having hanging baskets in
winter has reared its head with some regularity, but afaik
experiments in that direction have been failures.

Herbaceous material simply doesn't grow during the winter, a
severe cold snap can destroy bulbs. They may be hardy but they're
not *that* hardy. Narcissus are bulbs that are bone hardy for the
most part *if* planted in the ground or in pots given a modicum
of protection, but hanging from a lamp post, they freeze through
and through -- and likely die.

I suggest you go back to that garden centre off and on during the
coming winter and see if they have their daffodil basket actually
hanging up -- and if so, take a look at it when the daffodils
come into flower. I think you will be dismayed.

A compromise is to plant up hanging containers, but keep them in
coldframes for the winter, putting them up only when the bulbs
approach flowering in late winter or early spring.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

Herbaceous material simply doesn't grow during the winter, a
severe cold snap can destroy bulbs. They may be hardy but they're
not *that* hardy. Narcissus are bulbs that are bone hardy for the
most part *if* planted in the ground or in pots given a modicum
of protection, but hanging from a lamp post, they freeze through
and through -- and likely die.

But in the UK it's unusual for it to get that cold. In London, for
example, I've seen the tender varieties of cyclamen planted outside in
window boxes. I don't suppose the corms are much good the next year, but
they certainly don't freeze solid and disappear instantly.

London is warmer than most places, but here for example (OK, a long way
south, but high up, little winter sun, and with the wind blowing straight
off Dartmoor) bulbs have no problems in exposed pots, troughs and raised
planters, and I'd be surprised if a basket was that much more vulnerable.

My neighbours had a hanging basketful of dwarf narcissi last year, and it
was fine.

I don't use them much though. Most bulbs only flower for a month or so,
and don't look great before or after: personally I'd rather use something
with a rather longer lifespan if I'm going to the trouble of hanging
baskets. Maybe the odd bulb mixed with other stuff.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 09:28:07 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:
~
~ Herbaceous material simply doesn't grow during the winter, a
~ severe cold snap can destroy bulbs. They may be hardy but they're
~ not *that* hardy. Narcissus are bulbs that are bone hardy for the
~ most part *if* planted in the ground or in pots given a modicum
~ of protection, but hanging from a lamp post, they freeze through
~ and through -- and likely die.
~
~But in the UK it's unusual for it to get that cold. In London, for
~example, I've seen the tender varieties of cyclamen planted outside in
~window boxes. I don't suppose the corms are much good the next year, but
~they certainly don't freeze solid and disappear instantly.
~
~London is warmer than most places, but here for example (OK, a long way
~south, but high up, little winter sun, and with the wind blowing straight
~off Dartmoor) bulbs have no problems in exposed pots, troughs and raised
~planters, and I'd be surprised if a basket was that much more vulnerable.
~
~My neighbours had a hanging basketful of dwarf narcissi last year, and it
~was fine.
~
~I don't use them much though. Most bulbs only flower for a month or so,
~and don't look great before or after: personally I'd rather use something
~with a rather longer lifespan if I'm going to the trouble of hanging
~baskets. Maybe the odd bulb mixed with other stuff.
~
In January 2002 I made a winter basket from a pot of narcissus
tete-a-tete, a tiny trailing variegated ivy, a heather and several
primula 'Wanda'. Last year most were still alive and flowered again
(though I replaced a scrappy primula and the heather). As is usual in
my garden, the tete-a-tetes dropped to one flower each the following
year (anyone know how to stop this?) but looked lovely anyway. By then
I had a couple of feet of ivy!
I am expecting it to grow again this coming season - bulbs still nice
and firm, have fed it etc, the ivy's gone mental and the only thing
I've done to it since last year is give it a new basket liner as the
old one had rotted.

I can send photos to show how well it has done if anyone's interested.
I keep it through the year by leaving the whole thing in the
flowerbed.

I'm 140m above sea level in the Chilterns, and the front of the house
gets the prevailing winds.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!