Let's face it: Our houseplants aren't the mostimportant things on our to-do lists, and even the mostattentive gardeners will sometimes forget to water thehanging baskets. The good news is that unless theplants are completely dead, they can usually berevived.

If you're like me, you may find it hard to clip offbuds that will be opening soon, so use your ownjudgment to determine if this is necessary. A plantwith a lot of damage will have more troublerecovering if it's trying to support buds duringthe recovery period, and the buds may eventually falloff without opening anyway. If the damage is mild,leave the buds that are on undamaged stems in place.

Watering a dried out basket can be difficult. Youmay find that as you pour water into the basket itsimply runs out without wetting the soil. The bestway to overcome this is to run a pan of tepid water,and add a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. Thedishwashing liquid acts as a wetting agent and allowsthe water to soak into the soil. Set your plant insidethe pan of water and leave it for at least an hour, oruntil the basket is saturated, and mist the plants atime or two while they soak. If there are heavy chainsor ropes attached to your basket, support them with astick so that they don't lay on top of your plants.When the plants are dry, it doesn't take much weight tobreak the stems and leaves.

At this point we want to do everything we can to helpour plants get back on their feet, but it's best toavoid feeding them for about five days. This givesthem time to overcome the shock before trying to sendout new shoots.

Watch your recovering plants closely for signs ofinsects or disease. In their weakened state, they aremore susceptible to pests and fungus, and they shouldbe treated right away if you suspect a problem. Beforeyou know it, your basket will be bursting with bloomsagain.

About the Author:
Jackie Carroll is the editor of GardenGuides.com, a leading internet destination for gardening information and ideas.

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