1. Plant Selection – Determine whether the location you are planning to place your container in is sun or shade. Certain plants perform best under specific light conditions, whether it is full sun, part sun, or shade.

2. Watering - Hanging baskets and containers can dry out very quickly. A high quality potting mix is an important foundation for containers as it will have proper water retention and drainage.

The best way to determine if your container is dry is to feel the soil. If the potting soil feels dry one to two inches below the soil surface, then it must be watered. When you water, be sure to water enough so that the potting soil is thoroughly moistened.

3. Fertilizing - Frequent watering has a tendency to wash nutrients from the potting soil rather quickly. There are two different approaches that can be used for fertilizing to replenish nutrients which have been lost and/or consumed by the plant, liquid or timed-release.

Liquid fertilizers like Miracle Gro Ultra Bloom® should be applied every 2 weeks. Timed-release fertilizers like Miracle Gro Shake and Feed ® can also be applied to the soil, and the nutrients are released over time and can last several months. Before you fertilize, it is important that the soil be moist.

4. Dead-heading - It is important to remove all faded and spent flowers from the annuals in your containers. Removal of spent blooms will encourage additional flowers to form and prevent the plant from using its energy to produce seeds.

Some plants benefit from being cut back in mid summer as well. This will help promote further branching and flower formation.