Sweet Detachment

I had a beautiful hanging basket outside my house this year, filled with petunia, geraium, and lobelia. For the month of July it was my pride and joy!

Now, however, after a couple months of hot weather, it looks rather dismal. most of the flowers are dried out and dead. My geranium has stopped producing new blossoms. My petunia are leggy. Apparently I dropped the ball on maintainence and because of that my beautiful basket is now being regulated to the back yard.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions on what I can do to prevent this from happening again? I would like to have a nice ornamental basket or two again next year, but they are a lot of money for something that isn't going to last the entire season!