there is a lovely dwarf sweetpea that does well as will a dwarf nasturium. I like swan river daisies [brachycombe?] and the small yellow daisy 'bidens' as well as trailing verbena.

Impatiens are / were very useful for baskets and other containers in shade. I find that tuberous begonias and lobelia both cope under those conditions.

In sun I like surfinias if you can keep them dead-headed, and fuchsias to take over from them later in the summer.

Dwarf Snapdragon, Twinspur (Diascia hybrids) Nemesia hybrids, Million Bells (Callibrachoa), or Multiflora Petunias in sun. Bacopa (Sutera cordifolia), Wishbone Flower (Torenia fournieri), green leaf forms of Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens), or Hybrid Monkeyflower (Mimulus hybridus) in shade.

Surfina and petunia last forever, and a fortnight without watering wilted them a bit, but they soon popped back. Million bells is a recommended variety of petunia, smaller flowers but more prolific and less battered looking after heavy rain. Pelargoniums (also trailing variety) did very well this summer, loving the heat and little rain to rot their blossoms. Last week I emptied a final pot of petunia which still had flowers but had definitely passed its best - unheard of in December! Snap dragons also seem to have a longer flowering season in the drier weather, preferring water at their roots rather than on their flowers. My father adores fuscias and they are a wonderful addition to pots as beattie says - a bit of wispy trailing ivy to finish it off!

Tugbrethil comment just come through ... lovely ideas!

I'm interested in your deadheading comment Beattie re surfinias - I use these in hanging baskets every year, and never, ever deadhead any of them, and they flower on throughout the whole summer.
Recommended for hanging baskets in sun - use an upright fuchsia or Geranium in the top though. Cascade geraniums are pretty good too, but they do make a bit of a mess with their constant dropping of small petals.

Nasturtiums, Bidens ( Golden Goddess ) Mimulus, a good one is Pelargonium ( captain Starlight )

It may have quite a short flowering period, but I thoroughly recommend squeezing at least one Lotus berthelotii in.................

http://bit.ly/vUSYno

White, blue and mauve bacopa and Bidens. No doubt about it, Million Bells take a lot of beating as no dead-heading required. Trailing Geraniums are the most forgiving if you forget to water. The best show is certainly Sufinias but they need dead-heading regularly. Come August time when they become too straggly, then cut them back hard and they will grow back with a vengence.

Again, I repeat, what is this about needing to deadhead surfinia petunias? I never deadhead, and they flower on and on...

Maybe I'm being misled by those old wives Bamboo. I've always deadheaded assiduously. Are you telling me I needn't have?! *rolls eyes*

I always dead head surfina/petunia, though not assiduously, and just whenever I am passing. Same goes for fuscia, pelargoniums, scabiosa and lots of others. Even dead heading nemesia - another basket favourite - will produce a further full flush of flowers and snap dragons just love it! Lots of feed and lots of dead heading to keep the flowers blooming. Surfina and petunia bloom prolifically anyway, but removing dead flowers before they seed is always a bonus and looks nicer too. In the end though ... it is the gardener's choice. Not very helpful, maybe, but another thought on the subject??!

I've found deadheading to be pretty important for some kinds of petunia, especially doubles and some of the older Grandifloras. On the other hand, Surfinias, Supertunias, and most of the Multifloras tend to just power right through without it--especially if they are well fed.

Ah - well that might be why mine are so successful without deadheading then, Tugbrethil - they're very well fed throughout the summer.

I also just remembered another possibility for sun: Annual Phlox (P. drummondii).

Just noticed your response, Beattie - no, you don't need to deadhead your surfinias - unless you never feed them all summer, and I'm sure you do.