A few containers in the garden can add a lot of seasonal colour and interest but don’t think they’re low maintenance; basically you are “God” to those plants and have to provide them with water and food VERY regularly! So if you’re way a lot or don’t want the hassle I’d strongly recommend you avoid containers (or keep them to a minimum) as nothing looks worse than half dead planted containers I promise you! Having said that you can make your life slightly easier by doing one or to things.
Go for large containers as they will hold on to more water and nutrients, cluster containers together not only does it look attractive but the closeness of the plants create a little micro-climate which means they don’t dry out as quickly. Put saucers under the pots, as any water that does drain through the compost will get taken back up and it’s definitely worth using water retention crystals in the compost. And by the way do use fresh potting compost not the old stuff that your spring bedding was in as there will be little in the way of nutrients left and there’s more of a chance of pests and disease but don’t waste it use it to top dress under shrubs.
To get a really good display of blooms from your summer bedding feed regularly – every 10-14 days – the plants respond quickly to liquid feeds, tomato feed is very good value and works just as well. If you want to give perennials in a container a bit of a boost but don’t want to re-pot them scrape off 2-3cm of the soil and replace it with fresh compost that you’ve added some slow release fertiliser to. By dead heading regularly you’ll keep the containers looking tidy and it also means the bedding will keep flowering through the summer. And remember a lot of summer bedding is perennial so at the end of the season don’t just chuck it away, as long as you keep it frost free you can keep it going for the following year.