How do I create an eruption of colour?

[Greenleaves]

Along one side of my plots I have 5 L600xD300xW250mm planters, I want to plant something that will give an eruption of colour. Now I know nothing about flowers apart from what I have seen online.

Can anyone give any suggestions...would trailing petunias work? Nothing too tall though

[veggiechicken]

I have this overwhelming urge to say "Pots of Paint".
Petunias would work but, look a bit scruffy unless you deadhead them regularly,
Do you want year round colour or something seasonal?

[Scarlet]

Well, if you just want to sprinkle seed and get a riot of colour with not much work involved I would be tempted with a pack of calendula seed..you can get a mix pack, they will flower all summer and you can save seed for the following year- and many will reseed. Maybe add some trailing nasturtium around the edges too.

[rary]

Try begonias as you don't need to deadhead them, or do as Scarlet said and sow Calendula (pot marigold) though you do need to dead head, or as you thought petunias, and again like VC says you need to deadhead unless you spend some money and get some of the self cleaning verieties

[Nicos]

Dwarf nasturtiums?
They come in a variety of colours from cream to red these days, multicoloured and also verigated leaves
Don't need much watering either which is a bonus

[Atta]

Cornflowers lovely blue shades.Easy to grow as weeds and bees love them.

[Greenleaves]

Seasonally sown is fine...and dead heading is OK....off to look at some of the suggestions

[Babru]

Cosmos flower for months on end, right up to the first frost. Lovely feathery foliage too.

[Mitzi]

Ivy-leafed geraniums and verbena. (Not the proper herb verbena, the bedding plant sort.) That's what I'm going for this year, anyway.

[1Bee]

Nasturtiums or dahlias, I would think. Nasturtiums are so exuberant, I love them.

[1Bee]

Also, like VC, I was thinking along the lines of pots-of-paint-and-dynamite...

[bobbin]

Calendula are so easy but beware if seeds drop elsewhere they will pop up all over. Lovely for bees but you may find them invasive. Cornflowers are a bit tall for planters. DWARF COSMOS are perfect choice but makes sure dwarf as bigger ones can flop in high winds. I find nasturtiums attract too many blackfly.
For trailing over edge and some spreading and prolific flowering and no dead heading Diascia.
There are lots of annuals in the garden centres to choose from. But as you're a veg expert... flowers require a lot of water in summer.

[bobbin]

Just to add.. the geranium suggestion was really excellent. If you do all geraniums trailing and upright in a big mix of colour you and really pack them in you're onto a winner. They are very drought tolerant so cutting down watering. A perfect choice... providing it's sunny. They do need sun. Hence why they are so prolific in the med.

[Babru]

Agree with Bobbin, diascia are great, flower all summer and need no looking after apart from watering. They'll come back next year too.

I grow Cosmos Dwarf Sensation for my pots, so they're not too tall. Still time to sow. I find argyranthemum (marguerites) very long-flowering, and smaller anthirrinums (snapdragons) too, though you will need to cut off dead flowering spikes to get more flowers to come.

Finally - dahlias can't be beaten. Get shorter ones, they're still available in Aldi etc. Mine were planted in pots a couple of weeks ago and are just starting to look alive now. Planted up with other flowers, they'll give a fantastic show right through to the first frosts.