Kellie wants to know what kind of flowers to put out on her screened in porch this summer.

Kellie, Ask Andrea has the answer!!

You want petunias! They bloom like crazy, don't require a ton of maintenance, come in a million different colors, thrive in shade or sun and give all season blooms.

Plant some petunias in pots or hanging pots and they will spill out over the edge of the pot. Just be sure to pick off the dead blooms. If you want a bushier plant, then pinch back the stems from time to time.

Another option for you is the impatien. I plant these every year by my sidewalk and they get as big as a bush. They are awesome. They prefer more shade than sun but require ZERO maintenance except a good drink of water each night. You can't go wrong with an impatien. They would do great on your screened porch - just enough sun to make them happy but enough shade to help them grow.

Oh but Ask Andrea has more!! The ever popular Vinca. It's a little spikey (grows taller rather than bushier) and again is completely maintenance free. They come in a bunch of colors, mostly pinks and purples. No yellows.

One last suggestion is a good one - and gives you a little more color variety. It's the DAHLIA. It's a happy flower, kind of a cross between a mum, daisy and peony. They get big blooms that keep coming all summer long. They are available in yellows, pinks, purples, orange. They are a great flower for a pot - not hanging. These will require a bit more maintenance - you'll need to deadhead them...meaning when one of the blooms dies off, pop it's little dead head off the stem. More will come but it take a while sometimes for them to re-bloom. I usually plant several of these and hope they bloom in stages. They would do really well on your porch.

I hope these suggestions have helped but if you need more, just let me know. We can always go check out flowers at lunch some time. I LOVE flowers!!!!!

Andrea