Sagus and I manage to easily kill most any plants we plant into our window box. We have a fairly direct sunlight area, we chose Marigolds, Bachelor Buttons and pansies (I think). We had boxes with good drainage and kept them moist (watering them at night when they wouldn't get burned) during the heatwave and they all still died. It happens every year.. what are we doing wrong? I am trying to choose hardy flowers.

there is more to keeping a flower box going all summer long than watering and picking plants.....do you feed? You do need to feed any plant in a box because there is so little dirt and the nutrients in that dirt are used up so quickly in the season. Use a basic flower/plant food and it should help keep them going all summer long...

I'm not sure experianced gardeners will agree with me, but I have about 60 potted plants from flowers to veggies to herbs. Just from trial and error, I've discovered that they do MUCH better during the long, sickeningly hot days if I water them in the mornings. When the heat gets up in the 90's I water in the mornings and in the evenings as well.

I've also learned that my plants don't like being watered after dark...especially my basils.

It can get very hot for lengthy periods of time here and I have many potted plants hanging around my deck.

Feeding is important. I use Miracle Gro and just put a tablespoon per gallon of water when watering, about every 10 days.

My plants also do better if watered early in the morning, and yes, I water them again just before dusk during heat waves.

The best success I've had has been with Petunias, Geraniums and Marigolds, but I know there are many many hearty varieties out there.

Good Luck!

How long do your plants live before you "kill" them?

I was having fits become my impatiens would do great for a while, then just...die! Then I realized - they were annuals! They weren't GONNA live forever! (I felt so much better then!) Your plants sound like annuals too.

Also - pansies generally like cooler weather - spring and fall. They may die when the weather gets too warm for them.

To go with all the other good advice, I will add this tid-bit.

Take a salad fork and loosen the soil somewhat from time to time. This allows oxygen to get to the roots of the plants, and also allows nutrients to make their way from the surface to the roots.

Good luck in your future plantings. Window boxes are wonderful additions to a home.