Nasturtiums are very easy to grow and go on flowering right through the summer months. They are strikingly pretty, with the added advantage that the flowers are edible and can transform a plain salad into something very special. Nasturtiums do not need very rich soil, and will flower better in poorer soil, so it is fine to use potting mix that has been used for previous container displays. I have made planting suggestions for a cone-shaped hanging basket with a diameter of 11in (28cm).
YOU WILL NEED
Metal, cone-shaped hanging basket, with chains and hooks for suspending
Pail (bucket), large enough to hold the hanging basket (optional)
A couple of small drainage crocks
Gravel
Potting mix
plants:
3 variegated Hedera (ivy)
3 Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ (golden creeping Jenny)
4 Tropaeolum Flame Thrower Series and/or T. majus (nasturtium)
1 Soak the rootballs of all the plants in water for about 10 minutes, or until they are wet through. If you wish, place the cone in a pail (bucket) to provide support. Otherwise, it can be helpful to ask someone to hold the cone while you work. Put the small drainage crocks over the hole at the bottom of the cone, so that it will not become blocked with potting mix.
2 Add a few handfuls of gravel to the bottom of the cone. This will stop the potting mix from becoming too compacted.
3 Put a few trowel-fuls of potting mix in the cone until it is nearly full.
4 Remove the nasturtiums from their plastic pots, use your fingers to make a hole in the potting mix near the edge of the cone, and plant the first nasturtium. Press the potting mix down firmly around the plant. Repeat with two more nasturtiums.
5 Plant the ivies in the same way, near the edge of the container, but trail them over the rim of the cone.
6 Plant the lysimachias in the gaps between the other plants, again allowing the stems to trail over the sides of the cone.
7 Plant one more nasturtium in the middle of the other plants and firm down the potting mix. Suspend the cone in a sunny or partially shaded spot using the chains and hooks. Water the hanging basket and let drain.
AFTERCARE
Keep the potting mix damp, watering daily in hot weather. All parts of the nasturtium plant are edible, with a peppery taste, so enjoy picking the brightly colored flowers to eat in summer salads or as decorative garnish. Regular picking will encourage more flowers!
