truffula pink basket recipe easter parade

TRUFFULA PINK™ GOMPHRENA IN HANGING BASKETS

Truffula Pink can be used in hanging baskets as both a thriller and a filler. Be sure to use a large basket that has plenty of head room above since this plant grows quickly and can reach two feet tall. Pair it with other vigorous plants that can compete without getting lost in the mix.
In our Easter Parade recipe pictured here, it’s growing with Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star and Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow. These strong growing petunias can keep up with Truffula Pink, filling in around its feet and blooming in complementary colors.

PLANTING YOUR HANGING BASKET
  • Truffula Pink has a very full, upright mounding habit so you will only need one if you are planting it with companions in a 12” or larger hanging basket. It works best if you set it in the center of the basket so the other plants have room to fill in around its feet.
  • Use a good quality potting soil in your hanging basket. Better potting soils are light in texture and weight, and water drains easily through them.
  • Mix a bit of slow release plant food into the potting soil before you add the plants. Follow the package instructions to know how much to use. This will ensure a small amount of food is available to the plants’ roots over the season.
  • Water your newly planted hanging basket immediately to help the soil settle in around the plants’ roots.
  • Hang it up on a sturdy hook, pole or post in a spot that receives at least 6 hours of sun per day.

CARING FOR YOUR HANGING BASKET

Sunlight, water and plant food are the three main things your hanging basket will need to thrive all season long. Follow the tips below and they will repay you with a full season of spectacular flowers.

SUNLIGHT

  • The eventual size and robust development of Truffula Pink is, in part, dependent on the amount of sunlight you give it. It will grow and bloom the strongest when it receives at least 6 hours of sun per day. Its growth isn’t nearly as impressive in shade, so we don’t recommend it.
  • Though this plant is certainly whimsical and pretty, it is also resilient in high heat and moderate drought. ​It won’t wilt in all-day sun or in the heat of those lazy hazy days of summer.

WATER

  • Plants growing in hanging baskets tend to dry out much faster than those planted in heavier upright containers and in the ground. This is especially true when they are hanging in windy areas or in full sun all day.
  • To figure out if it is time to water, stick your finger down in the soil up to your first knuckle. If the soil sticks to your finger, it is moist enough to make it through the day without watering. If not, it’s time to water.
  • Never let your hanging basket dry out to the point where the plants wilt. That may mean it needs to be watered anywhere from every other day to more than once per day, especially as the summer’s heat sets in, depending on your growing conditions.
  • If you don’t have much time to water or if you tend to travel in the summertime, consider investing in a WaterWise® self-watering kit. It saves time and water, is simple to use, and waters up to ten containers at once from a single faucet.

PLANT FOOD

  • Every third time you water your hanging basket, include a bit of water soluble plant food in the water. Follow the package instructions to know how much to use.
  • What does every third time mean? If you water every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, then you’ll feed your plants every Friday. If you water your plants more than once a day, every third time you get out the watering can, add some water soluble plant food to the water. During the heat of summer when you are watering more often, your plants are growing faster and need more food to keep up. Feeding flowers is like feeding kids—not so much when they are toddlers but they’ll eat you out of house and home when they are teenagers.
  • Any brand of plant food meant for flowers will work for your hanging baskets. But we recommend Proven Winners water soluble and continuous release plant foods because they are specially formulated with micronutrients to help our varieties grow bigger, stronger, and bear more flowers.

TRIMMING

  • Unlike many annuals, Truffula Pink globe amaranth does not need to be trimmed periodically throughout the season. Plan on it growing large and taking up a lot of space in your hanging basket. If you need it to be shorter, you can safely remove about 25% of its height without harming the plant.
  • Trimming off the spent flowers won’t be needed to keep this plant blooming non-stop all season.
  • If you are growing filler and spiller plants in the basket with Truffula Pink, you’ll want to give those companion plants a haircut about once per month between midsummer and fall. That will keep them growing with renewed vigor and you’ll have a fuller basket as a result.
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