Hi,
I bought some of those cheap hanging plants. Ferns, and some kind of annuals...begonias, I think. Hung them up at the edge of my porch. Well it is 3 weeks later and they are already crisped, fried & dying.

The temperature has been mostly in the 70s/80s, although today is pretty humid. (southeast PA-zone 6.5.) It is just average summer weather, not a heat wave or anything. We have had LOTS of rain. I imagine these plants have caught their share of water.

They are planted in this spongy potting soil, it is pretty porous & fake-looking. I imagine it doesn't retain much water. I actually pressed this down & added about an inch of potting soil mixed with our native clay. Topped it off with mulch to try to prevent the heat drying these plants out.

Do people actually take these plants out and "re-pot" them in a better mix of soil? (like something with real soil added?)

I don't know what else to do to keep these plants alive. Or are cheap hanging plants not even meant to live beyond a month? Are they just one step above buying a cut-flower bouquet?