When should I be planting up my hanging baskets

A. From now on really. Garden centres should have good stocks of young fresh plants now and you want to get them in sooner rather than later to make sure you have a good show over the summer months.

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One word of warning, though. We may have been basking in the glory of a minor spring heatwave and it does tend to go to our heads. The older, wiser and more patient of us know that we could quite easily be back to frosty nights within a few days. Especially in the north, don't put them out until the risk of frost has passed. By all means plants them up, but bring them inside if the cold weather returns or grow them in the conservatory or greenhouse for a few weeks.

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A.� The traditional moss lining is still a great favourite. Not only does it have a natural look but it is also good at retaining water. However, there are a number of man-made alternatives on the market. There is a product called sisa-moss, which looks like natural moss but is even better at holding in moisture or there are the green, made to measure blotting paper liners, which again absorb water but somehow don't look quite as natural.

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�If your basket is going in a very hot part of the garden and you are worried about it drying out it is worth putting an extra lining of black plastic on the inside, with a few drainage holes, to help keep the moisture in.

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