Revive Hanging Baskets

If your hanging baskets are starting to look haggard then there is no time to waste, you need to cut them back NOW if you want them to look great all summer.... here's how.
Spring hanging baskets get tired by the time the heat of summer starts. When you buy them in spring, your baskets have been growing since January. It's time to pinch them back and you better do it now.
This hanging basket still has plenty of blooms but it's looking stretched and in a week or two will be done. Cut it back by half right now!
This is not going to be easy, you might even cry a little... but it's necessary to cut them back if you want them to last and last. Want a tip on how to clean your pruners or scissors? Just give them a quick shot with Lysol Disinfectant Spray.... I know, brilliant right ;)
This is not a pretty site, but it will only be a couple of weeks before this is flushing again. I cut this basket back on June 16th. To get it to bounce back quickly you must feed it, water it... and tell your hanging basket how beautiful it is ;)
This is the key to bushy plants. You must cut back the growing point to trigger the side shoots to grow. They remain dormant until you remove the lead growing point. For the full explanation of the correct technique visit the link below.
I'll add updated pictures to show the progress to this post, be sure to follow me if you don't want to miss them! One week later, June 22nd....the verbena is already on the way to recovery, there are very small buds on the Lobelia and the petunia's still look the same.
I see that this post is getting a lot of attention today... the before picture was taken right after the haircut June 17th, the after is how these plants looked last week :)
Sow and Dipity
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Gail Price Gail Price on Aug 03, 2014
    I trimmed back my petunias in the hanging flower basket and they have started to really bloom out again!!! Yes i did shed a tear but all in all it was worth it. :) Now my clematis is brown, wilted and dying, what can be done to save this beautiful plant?
  • Susan Susan on Aug 05, 2014
    sometimes i think i cut to short
    • Lisa Barton Lisa Barton on Aug 06, 2014
      @Susan, I had to cut mine back pretty short! I figure at this point...it's ok...worth a try. I cut them back and watered them with some fertizer. We are getting a lot of rain. I don't think the problem was not enough water but possibly too much water? It says to fertilize once every 2 weeks...can I do it more often? and should I keep watering every day even if the soil is moist? Would appreciate anyone's help!
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