Whatever compost you choose, you can cut down on watering by adding water-retaining gels. Some need pre-soaking; others can be added directly to the compost. Most new composts contain some plant food, but this is usually exhausted after 6 weeks.

To keep the plants flowering well, you should give a high-potash plant food. Tomato fertilizers are suitable, but you can also buy special hanging basket formulas. Pelleted fertilizers are easy to handle and feed the plant as they break down in the compost.

One application will last for a whole season, but check, as individual products vary. Liquid feeds are sold as powders to be dissolved in water, as liquids to be diluted or as ready-mixed products. They are usually watered into the compost as a root drench at intervals, depending on the product.

Some can be sprayed directly on to the foliage as a foliar feed, and these are especially good for giving your plants an instant boost if they have suffered a setback, such as an unexpected cold spell or pest attack, but a certain amount of the product is inevitably lost.

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