Hi community,

I am a beginner gardener. I got my first plants (Marigold) a few months back as a birthday present from my husband. I had always wished for a small home-grown garden in my balcony; and he helped me get started with it. He got me two French Marigold plants (1 with yellow flowers and 1 orange) from Walmart. They were really very small seedlings with a couple of flowers that came in cheap plastic planters. But they got me excited and within a few days I got them resettled in a 12" terracotta pot. I also used one of those potting mix that is advertised especially for flowering plants. Initially they would produce nice big blooms with brilliant colors. But lately the blooms have gotten much smaller and the flowers look exhausted. The plant however has grown and looks pretty healthy. I water the plants whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. I have also placed them in the balcony, which should get around 6 hours of sunshine daily. However, we get a lot of rain around here and sometimes we go days without sunshine. I am not sure what could be the problem here. Do the plants need more sunshine? Or is it something else? I would really like the beautiful blooms back.