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Pick up a potted moss basket or your
Moss basket kit in early May!
Moss Basket Greenhouse
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Marge Lewis holding a moss basket in May.
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Those who live in Red Wing, the surrounding area, or who have traveled through our city have seen the beautiful, flowering baskets hanging from the light poles. From 1990, the very first year they were hung, we had hundreds of inquiries as to "where can I get one of those?" Sargent's Nursery does participate in the growing of these famous city baskets and also offers a version of them to our customers. Baskets available to the customer use the same plants as are in the city baskets, but are put in a 14" basket, instead of a 16". This way, they are not too heavy to hang on the brackets available to the general public. We now produce over 800 flowering baskets for our customers yearly. To purchase a Sargent's Nursery moss basket, stop by in early May to assure you get one. They do sell quickly.
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Sargent's offers a moss basket kit for those who would like to plant up a basket of your own, the kit contains all of the supplies you will need, except the flowers. Each kit has a wire basket, a package of potting soil, a container of fertilizer, the moss liner and an instructional sheet that gives you step-by-step directions on constructing your basket. All that is left is to pick out the flowers you want, take it all home and plant it up.
To order a "Moss Basket Kit" give Trisha a call at (651)388-3847
Moss Basket Planting Instructions |
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| 1) Place the moss liner in the basket, moss side out, and overlap the seam so it doesn't pull apart during planting. |
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| 2) Fill the bottom of the basket with soil, up to the level where the first plants go. Place the plants in the soil. |
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| 3) Using scissors or a knife, be extra careful if using a knife; poke a hole from the outside in the spot you want the plant to go. |
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| 4) Insert the plants in the hole making sure that they are far enough in that they will not fall out when the next layer of soil is added. Work around the basket until all plants are in place. |
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| 5) Add soil to the basket until it reaches the level for planting the top row. Firm the soil in by gently pressing down (not too hard but enough to firm the plants on the lower level). Repeat #s 2, 3, and 4. |
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| 6) After planting the top row, add soil to the top of the basket and firm it in. Lay your plants out on the soil and plant. |
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7) Water in. Watering will be the most important thing you can do for assuring the success of your moss basket. The initial watering should be with plain water and should be thorough enough that water flows out of the moss liner from the bottom and all sides. |
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8) Two days later water again using SCHULTZ BLOOM PLUS fertilizer at a rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. Every subsequent watering use SCHULTZ BLOOM PLUS fertilizer at a rate of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water.
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| 9) It will take approximately 4 weeks for your newly planted basket to fill out and look like those you see in downtown Red Wing. |
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Note: You may plant any arrangement of flowers that you choose in your moss basket. The plants we have chosen we have done so because the colors go well together and culture of the plants is similar. You want to choose plants that will require little care and continue to bloom throughout the season. Plants we have found suitable in combination baskets for sunny locations include, but not exclusively: any multi-flora petunia, cascade geraniums (both these plants require no dead-heading), lobelias, dwarf marigolds, cascading verbenas, Dahlberg Daisy, and scaevola. For shady spots use plants such as impatiens, glacier, ivy, lobelias, pansies, and violas. These plants work well for the upper Midwest region of the country. The area of the country in which you reside will dictate the plants that will work for you.
General Care: Since there are so many plants in your basket, water and fertilizer will be used up quickly. In the heat of the summer your basket will need watering every day, maybe twice a day. Fertilize with every watering. Thoroughly drench the basket each time you water, soak it so that water pours out the bottom. DO NOT count on the rain to water your basket. With the right location and the right watering habits you should produce a beautiful flowering moss basket. GOOD LUCK!! |
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