Question
i bought tiny dilhanthus and they have i guess crown rot on them? i just searched it on the internet and it seems to be this. basically it still blooming but some of the flowers are dying out at the tips bfore they bloom i guess. and their is brown mushy roots but there are new roots coming out so its a little deceiving about what is happening. when i get my camara i can take a pic and email it to you. one container has them planted with pansies(purple) and some type of oval vine and another one with dwarf snap dragons and alyssum(purple). please let me know what i can do to save them they are so cute and the store i bought them at only has them in the bigger varieties. Can you also share some tips on what plants go together well in containers. half of my patio(left side) recieves sunlight from about 3pm-7pm and the other half(right side) doesnt. i would like to have butterflies and birds. so far the plants i have are in containers as follows:1. butterfly bush,white tiny alyssum and pink/green leafy plant. 2. pansies, green oval ivy and dilanthus. 3.yellow dwarf snapdragons, dilanthus, purple alyssum. 4. lavender,pink/green leafy plant,purple annual. 5. maroon lilies, yellow mums,snapdragons.

could you please let me know where to place these plants on my patio thank you very much for your time.

Answer
Hi Ashley,
Check out your planting container and make sure it is draining freely.  If it is not, you will have to put a hole in it so that the water does not sit in the bottom otherwise other plants will devleop rot.  Next, remove the diseased plant.  Remove all of the dead matter.  If there are enough new and/or healthy roots left you should treat it with a fungicide and then plant it in a separate pot and let it regain its vigor.  Once that has happened, then you can return it to its former home.

You need plants for your containers that don't require a lot of sun.  That would  include impatiens, ferns, spikes, small bananas, lady's mantle, columbine, petunias, geraniums, Johnny jump-ups, begonias are all plants that will do well.  You can use tomatoes and peppers (lots of different types of ornamental peppers), flowering kale, bush cucumbers, herbs like mints, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, will do well in containers too.  I hope this helps.
Tom