Tuberous Begonias. Mine have been SPECTACULAR this season. I get mine from here http://www.jerseyplantsdirect.com/begonia-sparkle-patchwork-trailing-70-garden-ready

I had the "Apricot shades" and ive never seen colour like it.

If your petunias were the trailing, surfinia kind, they don't need deadheading, so that won't be why they died, much more likely to be insufficient water or not watered often enough, particularly with the heat this year. People do deadhead them, but that's simply for aesthetic reasons - I never dead head mine and they're 3 feet long by the end of the season.
Don't choose geraniums if you don't want to deadhead - they do need it.

I can thoroughly recommend Million Bells for hanging baskets. Absolutely no trouble but of course like all hanging baskets need watering every day. Flower from May to frosts and come in a wide variety of colours. Try them and see for yourself.

My surfina petunias are still blooming from their hanging baskets. I water daily , feed weekly and never dead head. The two on a north facing wall are just about over but the two on the south side are ok. I am sure there are many other plants that will do well but I won't give up on my petunias.