Some helpful hints for planting a porch container garden:

1. Use lots of the same plant rather than many different plants.

2. Choose only one color or two complementary colors.

3. Overplant your containers from the beginning. The more the flowers push out and trail down over the container, the better. A very full planting will also shield the soil from the sun, holding in the moisture longer.

4. Plant in plastic containers first and then place these into more attractive containers. Plastic will hold the water longer.

5. Always water at night so that the roots have a long moist-time before the sun hits them and dries them up.

6. Do not stop watering just because water is coming out of the bottom of the pot soon after you start. This usually means the plant is so dry that water is pouring through the soil like it's a colander. Only after the soil has been watered for several minutes will it to retain the moisture like a sponge.

7. Feed your porch annuals once a week with a bloom booster from May through September. Everyone will ask you why your petunias look so much better than theirs.

8. Deadhead like crazy. The more you pinch back the dying blossoms before they go to seed, the more your annuals will bloom.