Hi, I need to find some potted annuals that are colorful, easy to care for and can survive with direct sun from sunrise until about 1pm and then complete shade for the rest of the day. I don't have a lot of time to care for these plants, such as deadheading. I live in Natick Massachusetts. We
typically have hot and humid summers with average rainfall, although we are currently experiencing some drought conditions. We are usually in the 80's and humid, but a good amount of 90+ days also. Thank you, Karen

Look into million bells — Calibrochoa specific. They bloom until frost, require no deadheading, are generally pest-free and come in a gazillion colors
https://garden.org/plants/sear...

I plant about 40 containers each summer and these all do very well on the east side of my house, no dead-heading (I do have to trim back the left-most planter or it will start to cover the bird bath by the end of July), nothing but watering daily because they're in containers, and fertilize once a week. I set up drip irrigation so I don't have to bother with either anymore. They bloom all summer through fall.

Supertunias and Wave Petunias (I prefer Supertunias)
Million Bells (last year's pic I had started those from seeds)
Fuchsia (I've been sticking with Billy Green for hummers)
Coleus
Hummingbird Mint (I start these from seeds)
Begonias (Canary Wing, Dragon Wing and Bronze Leaf)
Salvias
Alyssum
Potato Vine
Cuphea Vermillionaire

Here's last year's planters taken July 15th:


And this year's planters taken June 26th:


Edit: And this year I put a Cuphea Vermillionaire in the right-most planter for the hummers and it's also doing very well and blooming.

Thank you! I will give these a try.

I left off Cuphea Vermillionaire from the list I planted for this summer, hummers love that as well, and it's doing great on the east side.

So just mix and match any of those you like to make it as colorful as you want, they all do very well for me with east exposure.

Nancy's ideas are awesome! At my place, I find your conditions favor many annuals in pots- sun until 1pm, then shaded.
You can also consider potted perennial plants mixed in with you potted annuals- perhaps lavender, hardy hibiscus, asiatic lillies, or taller potted grasses and canna lilies for larger accent pots in the back. Except for the cannas, these would come back each year in their pots, of course. Canna lilies add dramatic height, bloom and foliage, but must be treated as an annual or lifted and stored.
This year I'm trying hardy hibiscus, in ground and in pots, as over the last several years some really nice ones have been developed.
https://www.waltersgardens.com...
Some are more compact, but still may grow too large for your space. Any perennials also might take a year or two to grow large enough to make a bold statement.

Just remember the 'potted plant' hardiness rule- if in a pot outdoors all winter, figure at least one zone lower than your zone... if zone 6 is your zone, make sure all your potted perennial choices are rated for zone 5 or lower.