Hi all,

I am a regular over on the cooking forum and love it so I thought I'd see if you guys could help me out.

I have never planted anything before and plants that I've bought tend to die on me but I LOVE flowers and want to try growing some.

Today I bought a wheelbarrow on Craigslist and I'd love to fill it with annuals. I live in Northwest Illinois.

I plan on placing the wheelbarrow in the back corner of the yard under a huge maple. There will be morning sun and then shade the rest of the day. We will be our of town for two weeks in July and I can't count on the kids to water then.

ANY advice would be appreciated and hopefully you guys can talk me through this project.

So what potting mix? Fertilizer? How much? What flowers? How many? Water how often? What about water crystals? Really, I know absolutely nothing.

TIA