I own a flower planting service in Raleigh, NC and couldn't help responding
to your request for help in planting colorful, low maintenance flowers.

First off, if you want lots of blooms, low watering and no maintenance in
your pot, my favorite plant to use is Yubi Portulaca. They are sort of
rubbery leafed like a succulent, and they require very little water. They
love sun and heat. I'm not referring to Moss Roses (another Portulaca).
Yubi Portulaca blooms multiple flowers that stick up about 8" tall and trail
out in all directions. They come in yellow, white, red, lt. pink, hot pink
and orange. Sometimes you'll find variegated forms of it too. The flowers
open up with glossy individual petals and aren't ruffled like Moss Roses.
They are also more expensive; usually $3-4 each. When you say medium sized
pot, I'm thinking of a 12-14" pot (measure across the top). You would need
only 3 plants in a triangle in the pot. If the Miracle Grow soil worked,
then use it again. I use Osmocote 14-14-14 slow release pellets in my
plantings.

As far as the plots are concerned, you have so many choices. The back row
could be Victoria Blue Salvia or Purple Angelonia or Sun Coleus or Celosia
(look for a tall variety). Look at all colors of salvia's to choose your
favorite one. There is also Red Hot Sally. Angelonia also comes in a
purple and white or a solid white. Sun Coleus come in solid red wine colors
or limey green. They have so many different shaped and variegated colors
that I can't list them all. Pick a favorite color and texture and then
start looking for colors to complement it. My favorite is a solid lime
color with red salvia mixed in front. Your next layer could be Vinca
flowers or Hawaiian Blue Ageratum. Vinca comes in white, soft pink, dk
pink, lavender, peach or coral, and red. I sometimes use the Pastel mix
(pink, white, lavender) with the Blue Ageratum in front. On the very edges
of the bed, you could use Moss Roses, Yubi Portulaca, Wave Petunias,
Scaevola (Fan Flower) or Blue Daze. Blue Daze is one of my favorites to use
in pots too. Other options for the middle layer would be Begonia's.

Here's an example of a combination I used for a customer's mailbox last
summer. In the center, I planted Crossandra (tropical looking salmon, peach
colored flowers). Around that, I planted white Vinca flowers. On the outer
edges, I used Blue Daze. Blue Daze is a low, spreading plant that also
thrives in full sun/part sun.

I almost forgot to mention another favorite medium sized flower called New
Look Butterfly Pentas. They are gorgeous in pink, red or white.

When you buy your plants, go to a good garden center to find the best
selection. Home Depot and Lowe's may carry some, but you won't find half
the selection you would in a dedicated plant business. The people who work
in the garden center will also be able to assist you in finding the plants
and giving you ideas. I used to work in a nice garden center assisting
customers and ended up starting my own business because of it.

I'm sure I haven't given you all the plants you could use. For instance,
Purple Fountain Grass in a pot is beautiful with Yubi Portulaca trailing out
or Marguerite Sweet Potato Vine. O.K., I've got to stop here before I write
a book.

Hope these ideas will help you in your plantings. Many nurseries are not
stocked yet with flowers due to our bad weather this past winter. I just
went to one today to get some Perennials and was told that the Virginia
growers were behind in plant production due to bad weather. Wait until
early to mid April and you'll find a much larger selection to choose from.

Good Luck,

Penny
Zone 7b-North Carolina
"Darby Wiggins" wrote in message
...
I'm fairly new here...I lurk a lot. Anyhow, I have some questions about
my garden area that I hope you can help me with. The garden folks at
Lowes/Home Depot were not of much help.

Location:
I live in N. Virginia. Two small plots of land behind my apt. building.
Approx. 2' X 3'6". They are right up against a brick wall. Receive
direct afternoon sun and whatever "early evening" sun is available.

Soil:
Have no idea but last year, I put one bag of Miracle Grow planting soil
on each plot and never had to fertilize again. Just water. I grew
impatients. They looked great. Had to water a lot due to the heat we
had, but they looked great.

Past Plants:
Impatients, which Home Depot (or their gardening contractors) said would
do fine. I've since been told that they are more shade tolerant. They
did fine where they were. They had the shadow of the building until
around noon.

I plan to plant impatients again in one of the plots. The other plot and
a med. size pot, I'm not sure. I want bright colors with lots of blooms.
I'm a novice and am rather impatiant and want the "instant impact" of
color right away, so seedlings might not be the best for me. In the pot,
I'd like one type of flower. Big blooms or at least if they are small,
lots of them. I really want a lot of color. In the plot, I'd like to
have some taller flowers in the back and gradually come down in height
as you come forward. I'm not sure if I want to get into staking
flowers. The plot will have a concrete sidewalk on 3 sides and a brick
wall on the other. Not a lot of heavy traffic. Again, I'm a novice and
want some color right away.

I really don't like geraniums. I thought about sprinkling wildflower
seeds and letting them go, but I don't know how long germination takes
and if I'd get the dense color i'm looking for. Any suggestions as to
some friendly, easy to grow flowers? Oh, and when is too early to start
planting?

Thanks
Darby