To get great results with container plants you must fertilize. You need a good quality potting soil mix and not regular top soil. Top soil is much too "heavy" and compacts which does not allow good root growth. Plants really don't get nutrients from potting soils....you have to feed them with fertilizer. I plant a lot of containers and I use a powdered fertilizer that I mix with water. There are three numbers on fertilizers. I use 15-30-15 (Miracle Grow is one brand name that has these numbers) for flowering containers and 20-20-20 for containers that are mainly evergreen plants. There are other brands you can use as long as it has the same numbers. The fertilizer usually comes with a scoop. In the above photo that is used as an example....I would put 1 scoop fertilizer (about 1 Tablespoon) in a large watering can filled with water. Put 1 large watering can of the mixture in each container every 10 days. Make sure the soil is moist before adding your fertilizer. I get great results with this amount of fertilizing!

There are also fertilizers that are slow release that you put on the surface of the containers and every time you water it activates the fertilizer. (grey pellets that you add once at the beginning of the season) I find that while it's easy because you only do it once you will not get the same great results as fertilizing every 10 days with the water mixture.

If you are having problems with annuals growing well directly in the ground it is either poor soil, not enough water, or not enough sun. You can also pour some fertilizer on your annuals in the ground and see if this helps. Your local nursery can point out the correct fertilizers for you. I hope this helps!