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The hanging beauties

your house not with paint but with plants

Hanging baskets and pots with colourful plants suspended by chains, wires or ropes in verandahs, balconies or under a shady tree have a great ornamental value for home gardens. Ornamental hanging pots come in several designs. Terracotta or earthen pots of artistic shapes are available in the market here. They usually have three holes along their ribs for tying ropes or chains with an attached hook to join them all together.

"The pots are also made of wire mesh or mild steel bars and plants can be placed inside them with a lining of lacy fibre pieces found at the base of coconut leaves," says Mr. Sabibullah, a nursery owner in S.S Colony.

"A thin layer of moss is spread along the inner surface of the basket in which soil mix is filled. A mix of red earth and compost in the proportion of 1:1 suits most hanging pots," he suggests.

Plastic pots

Plastic hanging pots too come in a variety of shapes and designs these days. "The advantage of using plastic pot is that it has base container for drainage water", says Mrs. Abrujan of Jaan Shopping in Rakesh Tower on Bypass road. Round open baskets made of mild steel rods too have an advantage as pots inside can be changed or replaced whenever they finish flowering, she says.

"If pots are hung by brass chain, they add to the beauty of the arrangement", points out Mr. Kirupanidhi, who has hung beautiful pots in the front verandah of his house in Doraisamy Nagar. Residents of flats need to ensure that water does not spill or drain out from their hanging pots on to the clothesline of people living below. "I generally water my plants after 10 pm when most people go to rest", says Mrs. Neera Samy Lal of Vajra Apartments.

Choice of plants

Selecting a suitable variety of plants for the hanging basket is vital. As shrubs and bushes cannot be grown in pots, the choice is limited to sideways spreading small plants. "Creeper species with branches hanging all along the rim of the pot are the most suitable. We can also plant two to three varieties of plants in a single pot, keeping one small erect plant in the middle and two to three trailing plants around", says Ms. Revathi, caretaker of Vivek Nursery and Garden, opposite Natraj Theatre in the city. Perennial foliage plants look better than annual flowering type, she adds.

The choice of plants is also dependent on availability of sunlight. "Flowering plants like petunia, phlox can be placed in any direction, but bloom best in East-facing verandahs or balconies where direct morning light is available for two to three hours in the morning. All foliage plants including ferns and orchids bloom well when facing North while summer hardy plants grow well facing South and West. Some varieties of cactus and small bamboo grass make ideal pot plants. Flowering plants like moss verbina and creeping lantana which come in multiple colors too bloom well," enlists the owner of Vivek Nursery, Ms.Poombani. When hung in a row, darker and lighter coloured plants can be arranged alternatively to give a pleasing blend.

Moushmi Kishore

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