How to Care for your Mixed Shade Basket

Our Mixed Shade Baskets contain a large mixture of plants that specifically need placed in a semi-shaded, morning sun, or late afternoon sun area. Sun exposure can change during the season as the sun moves higher during summer. Make sure the afternoon sun will not be reaching your basket during the hottest part of the late spring and summer.

You can recognize overexposure to the sun by examining the leaves. Sun scorch will make the leaves look a light shade, sometimes almost white where the sun has damaged the leaf. Bacopa can become hardened looking with reddish stems. The plant will also wilt even though the roots are moist.

Maintain Moisture: The best way to water your mixed shade basket is to slightly lift the basket, and if the basket feels very light, water until the water drips through the hole or holes at the bottom. Don't wait until the plant wilts, but don't give water every day. Let the plant get to the "light" stage so that air can permeate the soil along with the moisture to keep the roots healthy. Any basket can become waterlogged and it kept too wet can wilt and die almost overnight.

Fertilize regularly: Every 2 weeks is a good standard. The plants in a mixed shade basket need a great deal of nutrition, especially nitrogen. Use a quality water soluble fertilizer and make sure the plant is never starving for nutrients.

Deadhead regularly: The fuchsia combined in your shade basket produces a seedpod at the base of the flower. Eventually the flower will be spent and fall off. The green seedpod starts to enlarge and if left on the plant, will begin to change color and darken. Never allow the seedpods to get to this stage. Once a week or so, pick off the green seedpods from the fuchsia. When the pods ripen, this can signal the plant that it has completed its job in nature and does not need to produce flower anymore. Keep the plant thinking it has to produce flowers and its job is not even close to being done. Impatiens, bacopa, and lobelia do not require deadheading.

If you have any questions about our products, or need some help I am always available by email. Please feel free to email me and I will be happy to help you with any of your concerns.