I’m a pro garden designer and there’s a common decoration I absolutely hate – it’s ugly, plastic & always looks dead
A GARDENING designer has revealed the one common decoration she absolutely hates.
They can look splendid in summer, but Pollyanna Wilkinson shared how she has a pet peeve of hanging baskets.
Speaking on her podcast, The Ins & Outs, Pollyanna responded to a listener who had written into the show asking if hanging baskets should be left in the 80s and 90s.
The gardening designer didn’t hold back with her response and said: “I gift you the whole cold, hard truth, my friend, I hate them.
“Hate them. I effing hate hanging baskets.
“And the reason I hate them is much the same reason that I hate small pots.”
She shared the first reason for this is that she doesn’t think they are “very attractive as a vessel.”
Pollyanna explained on the latest episode: “You can tend to see the plastic inside because it’s got a plastic liner, because otherwise, obviously the water is going to go through.
“And I don’t like seeing plastic in the garden.
“And also the body of soil that a hanging basket holds – unless it’s those amazing ones outside the Ritz, which are just the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen, but those are the sides of a beach ball – it’s just, it’s this tiny little dish of mud.”
On the other side of the debate, Pollyanna’s podcast co-host, interior design expert Jojo Barr, defended hanging baskets.
She shared: “I know, but when they come out and they’re in bloom, they do look kind of nice.”
Pollyanna responded: “If you look after them and you and they are abundant, and you remember to water them and you fill them with things, they are spectacular.
“But I personally think life is too short for hanging baskets. There I said it.
“I would rather grow plants up the house than have a hanging basket.
“I think the problem is, they often look half dead, don’t they?”
However, the gardening expert did reply to the listener who wrote in and added: “Please don’t take offense if you have them and you love them and you manage to fill them with amazing things.
“I’m a big believer that gardening takes a lot of work and so you should choose where you spend your time and I wouldn’t spend it on hanging baskets.”
BASKET TIPS
If you do have hanging baskets and want to ensure they look beautiful all summer long, some gardening professionals have shared their tips.
According to gardening experts Jim and Mary Competti at This Is My Garden, many hanging baskets will experience foliage fading and scarce blooms during hot weather.
The gardening maestros stressed that gardening enthusiasts “need to fertilise” hanging baskets to keep newly planted baskets flowering.
However, fertilising hanging baskets is not a one-time task, but rather one that should be done regularly.
Hanging basket plants have restricted soil available for energy absorption and cannot spread out to seek additional nutrients, which makes this process incredibly vital.
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