Will you be placing your flower containers in sun, shade or part both?

Full Shade: impatiens thrive in shade, as do coleus; accent with lobellia (white or blue)
Part Sun & Shade: wax begonias, celosia,
Full Sun: marigolds, salvia (red, purple, white), petunias, geraniums; accent with dusty miller, alyssum,

Plenty of others. Just go to the nursery and when looking at the plants, read the specs on the little description stick. If potting, invest in some really good potting soil and keep the plants watered and fed. The heat and humidity will stress most flowers in containers and watering will be critical, but be careful not to over-water. You can also buy little crystals that hold water, and mix these in with the soil so the roots have access to moisture when needed. Good luck!

To the above great advice I would add get the biggest possible pots you can. In the heat of summer it will make it much easier to care for the plants. The big pots will hold the water a liitle bit longer and stress the plants a little bit less than small pots. So go as large as you possibly can!

Zinnias and cosmos bloom gangbusters for me here all season in zone 5/6.

Tracy

Thanks for all your help, that's what I needed to know!

Portulaca works great in the sun and is very forgiving of neglectful gardeners [not that I would ever forget to water]. Livingstone daisies are also great in that way - they only open when it is sunny however so wouldn't provide much colour on a dull day or in the evening.

Fern

What is the name of "little crystals" that you mentioned. Would the crystals of my baby`s unused diaper do,as an alternative??!!
Ranjana

Ranjana, you are absolutely right. I've never done it myself, but I've heard of many people using the diaper liners (broken up) instead of the crystals. Cheaper too.

You can also put wadded up newspaper in the bottom of the pots before putting the soil in. I find this is almost as good, and it has the advantage of being biodegradeable and even cheaper.

Janet's Garden

Annuals are so much fun for the new gardener - most are non-stop bloomers once they have matured to the point where they are ready to take off (that happens quickly) and provide color and fun and a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the world of gardening. However, you will have to be sure to provide enough sun and water and feeding to have success and to have them look good until the cold weather ends it.

Be sure to ask lots of questions here as they come up - some suggestions have already been made. I suggest using large plastic pots or pots that are clay but have a slick finish on the inside of them - the clay pots will absorb so much water that it might be very difficult to keep enough moisture to your plants.

since you are dealing with container gardening with annuals, you want to make a statement, crowd those annuals in for a real burst of color! Be prepared to water deeply and daily or even more during the hottest weeks. Use a good potting soil that has built in food for three months, it's the easiest thing for you as a newcomer to gardening. Petunias are wonderful, they are easy and come in lots of colors and really pop in your containers - I have a few pots with nothing but petunias and a little bacopa in them, I always use petunias somewhere, they are just so easy and have such wonderful color. Research each plant you are thinking about to be sure it will do well in a pot and if you are going to combine plants, you want to know how to place each in the pot for proper heights etc. A little white in colors make the colors pop - bacopa is a wonderful trailing plant that is tiny white flowers that will make your colors pop.

I'm not a fan of cosmos in pots, they get too big but zonal geraniums are lovely and come in lots of colors too. Cosmos is wonderful in the garden though, a *wonderful* starting plant for you to learn on in the soil and provides wonderful flowers for you to cut and bring into the house!

Be sure to deadhead all your plants to keep them flowering. Just cut pinch the blooms as they fade and more will take their place. If you don't do this, the plant gets the signal that the season is over for flowering and won't perform nearly as well.

The sun requirement is very important. If the tag says sun, you must have the pots placed in an area that will get 6 full hours of fun - if you don't meet the requirements of the plant, it simply won't do well for you and you will be disappointed with your efforts. Gardening honestly doesn't require a green thumb, it just requires the gardener providing what the plant needs and there ya go, you have a successful plant! Annuals are wonderful for you to start off with, they are easy and a good learning tool and add so much to any garden.

Here's hoping you have great success!