If a rose bush was my Father's passion, hanging baskets was my Grandmother's love. You can keep your hanging baskets looking as good as hers with these tips from the Master Gardeners at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County.

Besides looking beautiful, one of the best things about hanging baskets is you don't have to bend over to work on them.  Two things that are guaranteed to keep them thriving is feeding and maintaining them.

  • Fertilizing: Consider adding a water-soluable fertilizer during the summer every two weeks until mid September.
  • Maintenance: Baskets benefit from removing the dead blooms and a periodic trim to encourage new growth. Around the 4th of July, trim the longer branches of the plants in line with the bottom of the pot/basket. Your basket may look a little funny at first and may not flower for a few days, but it will come back stronger than ever, with lots of new growth in the center.

Get answers to all your flower and garden question at Cornell's Horticulture Hot Line on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon at 736-3394.

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