Hi hoghaven! I used to live in Duluth for a year. My finnish husband grew up in lakeside. Easy annuals you could plant include

white:
alyssum
petunias
portulaca
geraniums
snapdragons
cosmos

blue:
bachelor buttons
lobelia
petunias (some new varieties are sky blue, but not sure you will be able to find them in duluth)
pansy
nemophilia
nigella

I think dusty miller would look nice with a blue & white container, but I guess it isn't really white. More like silver, but it would be pretty. I am sure there are a bunch more. Hopefully others will add more suggestions.

Good luck with the weather. It is something else in Duluth! Although the lake walk is so nice and I am still missing those onion rings & pepper cheeseburgers from the Pickwick. Yum!

Another Duluthian here. In addition to the above - there are white geraniums, osteospermum (Arican daisy), wax begonias, dianthus Chinensis, and impatiens. There are some almost white French marigolds.

Blue is tougher. (picked up a Hadspen "Blue" hosta at Wal-mart.) Salvia, verbena, ageratum, Wishbone Flower, morning glory.

Be interesting to see what the city does with all the lamppost baskets and big planters around town.

"Be interesting to see what the city does with all the lamppost baskets and big planters around town."

Yes, Duluthinbloomz, I am wondering if Mr. Kasper will try to find a true blue, rather than the easier purple/violet blues?

The city does a nice job with the hanging baskets and planters.

Blue:
Scaevola (violet blue)
Dwarf centaureas
Blue Pimpernel (Anagallis monellii)
Evolvulus(true blue, but small flowers)
Anchusa
Salvia farinacea
Cynoglossum
Nemesia KLM (flowers are white and blue)

Mauricio

My money would be on pansies or violas along with lots of white petunias. Maybe the navy blue petunias? I've always thought they did a good job with the city plantings and have wondered who the grower/supplier is.

One thing I've always missed here is the plant sale at Fairlawn Mansion in Superior - either it shows up in the paper the day of the sale or you see it on the local news with all the happy people and their new plant purchases. Now I've been checking their website, but it's much too early for that to be on their calendar of events.

Oh, I forgot to say Minnesuing, that I think the dusty miller would look nice, too. Now why didn't I think of alyssum? And mmsc, also good choices. I have to wonder if I will be able to find these locally. I have been looking through seed catalogs and I'm afraid I might have to start from seed. I thought I would go for a good variety, hoping to get lucky at the end of July.

Other than annuals, I have quite a few blue clip campanulas. I wonder if they would transplant well to the front and be blooming by then?

Also, I don't think I have ever had a morning glory bloom before the last day before a frost. Is there a trick? Hmmm, maybe heat lamps?

Regarding pansies--I haven't lived here all that long. In my experience pansies kinda fade away in the heat of the summer. I used to always cut them back and then start coaxing them back in the early days of Sept. Of course, it would probably be good to hedge my bets.

I think I will have many, many relatives and friends descending on me. Relatives have been hinting at a family reunion at my house--EEK! I would like to rent a bus and take everyone on a tour, though.

I just noticed the fest will be held in late July. I don't know what the weather is like in there, but unless you have really cool summers, most of the plants won't be looking that good by mid summer (specially pansies, lobelias and nemesias..).

In this case, for a true blue color, I'd use Salvia 'Cathedral'. It's a new dwarf variety and will certainly be full of flower spikes all summer. It'll probably be available this spring. Here's a picture from UFL Garden Trials:

{{gwi:4163}}

Mauricio

That salvia is beautiful. A top choice for sure! There is a really pretty lupine--Early sunrise? Its blue and white but I don't think it would do in a container. Perhaps I will have to dig up the front yard.

Here's an idea from an old Wall Street Journal:

July 2, 2003 -- "The focal point of Jerry Hallan's backyard is... mulch. Bright blue mulch. And it's made out of rubber. Dr. Hallan likes the stuff so much, he painted his gazebo the same color and plans to do the fences next. "My wife is very tolerant of my artistic efforts," says the Jacksonville, Fla., retiree."

I really like that Salvia, too.

Some other ideas...

For containers in late July, I'd go with those blue salvias
and add white catharanthus(madagasgar periwinkle).

In my garden beds, I have used 'blue horizon' ageratum with white catharanthus.

An all white dianthus and white profusion zinnia
would be nice with the blue salvia.

Wonderful ideas, all! (Well, except for maybe the blue mulch!) ;) I guess at one of the previous Finn Fests, (I think Michigan) they painted old chairs blue and white and put them on their porches. That could be nice.

Anyway, thanks for the great ideas.