I really like wicker, so I thought I would decorate the garden with it.
I started with two old linen baskets. One was mine, and the other one I got from my neighbor. I carefully cleaned them first with a regular rice brush, and then wet with water and baking soda (a liter of warm water and two teaspoons of baking soda). Washing wicker products with water only makes them dull quickly. Some people say they clean wicker with lemon slices, but I haven't tried this yet.
Clean, well-dried and varnished baskets were half filled with empty drink bottles. On such a "foundation" I put a foil, I covered it with good soil and I planted annual flowers as well as tulip and daffodil bulbs.When all the plants were in bloom, I was delighted with the result. So I decided to set up more of these baskets.
My wicker pots are always outside. They do not stand directly on the ground, but on concrete tiles, so they do not rot from the bottom. Bulbs easily survive the winter in them. In addition to spring flowers for woven pots, I also plant, among others hives, geraniums, gladioli, ferns and herbaceous plants.
Some of the baskets have already used up a bit. The way to do this is to cover the ugly places with a mulch of birch and dogwood twigs. Nasturtiums climb up nicely. The damaged edges of the baskets can also be cut off.
Anna Kaczmarska
