Flowers for pots?

I had some marigolds planted in pots in front of my house, but they've all died after a few weeks. i'm not sure why. i watered them everyday since it's been hot. does anyone have any ides for other flowers that do well in pots? i'd love to have something that would last all year long (if it's possible), or at least something that would do good now through the fall. and i'd prefer flowers instead of plants. thanks.

Flowers for pots?
Mums are the classic fall flowers, and they come in lots of colors and flower forms. Geraniums are easy to care for, come in lots of different colors (and some even have colorful leaves), and bloom over a long season. I live in Zone 9, where we have some frosts but rarely hard freezes, and my geraniums live for years and years in pots. I often combine a geranium with some smaller plants in the same pot. One of my favorites is a pink geranium underplanted with dianthus in the same shade of pink, and blue lobelia trailing over the edges of the pot.


A couple of tips about growing flowers in pots: It's much harder to be successful with small pots. They don't allow enough room for the roots to spread out as the plant grows %26amp; they dry out quickly. Also, unglazed clay pots dry out much faster than plastic ones. I have about 70 potted plants on my porch, patio, and lining my driveway, and almost all of them are in either glazed pottery (with drainage holes) or plastic pots. Use a good quality potting soil rather than your garden soil, since regular soil packs down in a pot. You shouldn't have to use plant food for the first 4 to 6 weeks after potting in fresh potting soil, and then you will want to give a good general purpose plant food on a regular basis.


As far as watering, the condition of the soil is more important than the air temperature. Don't let the pots stand in water (so if you have them in plant saucers, either drain the saucers after each watering or get rid of them.) Water thoroughly, so water comes out through the drainage holes, and then don't water again until the top inch or so of the soil has dried out.
Reply:My favorite plant to grow in a pot are petunias. Sometimes if the pot is small you can only get one plant in there; a bigger pot can hold far more. Remember to "deadhead" a petunia (pinch off dead flowers) to make sure your plant continues to bloom throughout the season. Petunias also like a good drink and also the full sun. I also pinch back petunias at least once during the growing season to promote branching -- sometimes right away when I plant them. Fertilize periodically with Miracle Gro.





Marigolds are a good pot plant but I'd use the smaller varieties, like the french dwarfs. In fact, I think you could start those from seed right in the pot if you would want to do so.





Moss roses are good too -- and when they start to branch they really give a good show of color. Don't overfertilize these because they thrive on poor soil. And I'd avoid overwatering too.





Mums are nice for a good autumn display. When they are done blooming, just stick them in your garden.





Salvia are can be good pot plants too, but with these, remember to fertilize with a weak solution a little more often. It's the foliage you have to be concerend about here with these plants -- they are heavy nitrogen feeders -- they need a steady supply to keep their leaves pine green. Their bright flowers really give a good display. I wojuld use dwarf varieties.





Dwarf snapdragons are an old standby. With these, like with the petunias, remember to deadhead. In fact, don't be afraid to just snip off a spent flower stem. (Not the leaves though.)





Coleus is another good pot plant. It can be grown in the shade and does really well. Some of the newer varieties really have bright colors too that almost look like flowers from a distance.





In a bigger pot, you might want to plant a few allysum near the sides, intermixed with other annuals. I've trimmed these back with scissors but I don't think it's really necessary.





Hope this helps. (P.S. As others have recommended too, a pot of pansies is always an old standby as well.)
Reply:My favorite would be Mums. A good hearty flower that looks as nice in a pot as it doe sin the ground. And they should last all through the end of the year.
Reply:mums or daisies
Reply:Winter flowering pansies, they flower virtually throughout the year.
Reply:Mums are the fall flower and they do well in pots...


Any annual for spotted color, or start with a perenial


Kale is good color in the fall