Hanging baskets a blooming art form

He also demonstrated the art of making the baskets.

This was most timely as the garden centers are now full of a vast selection of suitable plants to choose from.

Harry was assistant curator of Kew Gardens from 1973 to 1986. He was also a columnist for Garden News and a member of the Garden Answer Panel for many years, therefore well qualified to advise on the subject.

Honest vulgarity was the way Harry described the look he liked to achieve in his baskets, and proceeded to fill a 14-inch wire basket (the minimum size he recommends) with 24 plants, all bold in colour from the deepest mauve to bright yellow and all colours in between.

He began by lining the basket with moist moss, with a good thick layer at the base on top of which he suggested a saucer or circle of black plastic be placed in order to retain water. He then built up the multi-purpose soil in a bird's nest fashion, placing water retaining gel and feed granules where they would be most effective at root level.

About two-thirds of the way up, he placed the first plant layer, gently pushing the young plants through the wire opening.

These included lobelia, petunias, busy lizzie and mimulus. He then topped it with more compost securing the roots and made a final layer containing surfinia, marigolds, helichrysum, felicia, geranium and a spider plant.

Where possible it is best to place baskets in a south east facing position, avoiding wind tunnels and at a workable height for watering and dead heading. Check labels as some plants can tolerate sunlight while others require shade.

Harry likes to make his plants "pay their rent twice". So he always looks for plants which have interesting foliage as well as colour, and those that can be recycled into the garden or from which cuttings can be taken.

Before his demonstration, Harry told us of the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund, which is a trust he and his sons set up after the death of his wife from the disease nine years ago.

For this he has completed many amazing fundraising challenges including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the 100km Sahara race, and walking the Pilgrim Way 500 miles across Spain. He has also walked the north island of New Zealand end to end, pushing a wheelbarrow and writing an amusing book called The Slowest Pilgrim.

His next challenge, and to celebrate his 72rd birthday, Harry is hoping to raise one million pounds on his sponsored trek from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon on September 10 and 11 this year.

His website can be found at www.melanoma-fund.co.uk

The next meeting at Jubilee Hall is on Thursday June 26 at 7.30pm.

What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.

Click here to go back to Chichester news

Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news

Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news

To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.

MAP