Hanging basket advice, please!

A red ornamental grass in the middle of the basket with variegated ivy round the edges works reasonably well. Both can be taken out in the spring, split and potted up for the following winter. I found leaving them in a mistake as the ivy makes too much root. If the grass is a small polite one it may benefit from being left in its pot so the ivy doesn't swamp it (provided the pot is big enough).

I only have one hanging basket in the winter to brighten up front door. Usually have bright yellow pansies or violas until Easter when they become a bit tatty and then put in yellow primroses until ready for summer planting (currently red trailing geraniums) I realise it's not particularly innovative but it's cheap and cheerful. Watering isn't a problem as I only have one to do in the winter and put a jug of water on it as I pass through.
Have found ivy, conifers etc too much faff to be honest.#lazycow.

Have noticed the OP addressed all green-fingered G'netters

Please ignore my previous posts, I am very 'hit and miss'

What about Boss ivy suggestion plus some fairy lights mixed in with winter pansies

My winter baskets are pansies, ivy and miniature dafs, never had a problem with ivy.

and if you put ivy into the winter baskets, the roots will take over all the soil sorry compost!

Apart from needing different plants, the compost will be exhausted after a season.

No, all year round baskets are not viable - very optimistic though They will need different plants for different seasons and somewhere to over-winter the summer plants

I only put up winter baskets one year (too much faff always watering, sometimes it's nice to have a few months doing not much gardening at all!) although big tubs are easier and usually get watered by the rain.

Many thanks for the responses, appreciated as always. You have reinforced my thoughts that all year round baskets are not really viable.

Now all I have to do is explain to himself that he can't actually have what he would like, but we could compromise with tubs when the baskets have to be put away!

PS The person that previously printed off and sent to my boss another thread, do feel free to do so with this one, you might even get away with only 1 first class stamp this time.

DH keeps asking 'Are we going to have hanging baskets this summer?'

It is hard to have all year hanging baskets - the best thing is to re-plant them in Autumn with silver leaves [can't remember the name] and pansies and suchlike which will last well into the spring, then re-plant with summer bedding then. perennials don't do well in permanent baskets - they don't look good all year round.

does that make sense, not sure?

I didn't have winter baskets, but the tubs at the front had primroses, cyclamen, pansies and violas in them. There was a large chrysanthemum in the middle of each but they didn't last all winter, so I had to remove them carefully and plant a conifer in each (a tiny blue spruce Chamaecyparis, quite nice! honestly). I left them in and planted summer flowers around them.

You would need to plant in holes around the side as these winter flowering plants don't tend to trail, so variegated ivy would be a good idea, but it could take over.

I have just moved all the primroses from those tubs and put them in old tubs out of the way, and hope I can replant them in the autumn, if I remember to water them that is!

Thanks Pogs the existing ones are already my responsibility! However I have got some of the students who live on site on board for watering when I'm not around! (currently only work Monday, Tuesday & Thursday) and have already got them filling the wagering can and leaving it to get to ambient temperature!

The boss has also said that we will need one of those long reach watering things to attach to the hose pipe (he has noticed that I'm not over tall☺) although I would still need to stand on something for dead heading.

Dare I suggest silk flowers for winter? They could fiil the gaps left by the dead real plants or fill the planters completely.

Personally I don't think during the winter hanging baskets do any good unless you have winter flowering pansies.

Conifers noooo!

Don't forget if it's your suggestion pheonix you might be held liable for watering and care requirements, hanging baskets die off pretty quickly if not watered regularly.

Look nice though .