An English garden is an excellent substitute for a standard floral arrangement, and provides all the color and charm of cut flowers with the longevity of a planted container. It brings the style of a seasonal garden into a home or hospital room. A large variety of outdoor bedding plants can be used as well as house plants, or mix them both together to create your very own English garden basket.
There are essentially two methods used to create a portable English basket garden. You can take a basket, line it with foil or heavy duty plastic and place a few pots of blooming plants within it. Cover the surface area with sphagnum moss. Then you can water the individual pots when necessary. Never let them completely dry out or be left in standing water. This method is simple and easy but does limit the number of plants that can be arranged in the basket due to the size of the pots. However, as the plants tire out and stop flowering, you can replace them with a minimum of fuss and bother. You could also take the older plants and put them right into your gardening bed or in larger pots for singular display in the home.
The second method is to plant directly in the soil. Line the basket as before, and place a small layer of plant charcoal in the bottom of the basket. Remove the plants from their pots and arrange them in the basket. It helps to break up the roots a bit if the rootball is crowded. Then use a fresh potting mix to fill in the spaces. Cover again with sphagnum moss and water carefully only when, by feeling with your fingers, you find the soil is dry. Remember that there is no drainage hole in the basket so try to water just enough to moisten the soil thoroughly and evenly.
These miniature gardens can be grown inside or out. When indoors, they should get bright indirect light if they are flowering plants and be careful to give light shade to the basket if house plants fill it. Outside, shade on the patio will do the trick, though full sun can be endured if sun-loving annuals make up your basket. Be sure to watch your watering in the hot sun.
Blooming plants should be fed regularly with fertilizer that is high in phosphorus. Keep the faded blooms picked off. With the right light and care, an English basket garden will bloom for weeks.
To have the best results with the plant materials you choose, purchase plants in four-inch containers. Your choices are many--petunias, marigolds, impatiens, begonias, cyclamen, mums, dahlias and zinnias are all sure-fire successes. Lobelia, dianthus, ageratum, vinca and pelargoniums work well also. Most house plants can be used, though you must be sure to grow them in the shade outdoors and be mindful that the temperature in your area does not drop so low that it will kill them off. African violets can be used to provide contrast and a touch of color and don't forget the herbs!
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