Plants like tomatoes require a lot of sun, whereas impatiens are a shade-loving flower. Something else you may need to know are the two main types of flowers for planting. Annuals are flowers that have one flowering season. They usually last only one year and then die. Most of these will last longer than a year if in the right climate, but generally they don't.
Perennials are plants that come back every summer.
They usually die down in the winter, but come back up in the springtime. These are usually harder to take care of, but well worth it since they last for years. Flowers such as marigolds, petunias, impatiens, and dahlias do much better when you use pruning shears to clip off the dead bloom. This enables the other blooms to get the much needed sunlight that the dead ones were blocking as well as putting all the plant's efforts to the new blooms rather than holding onto the dying one. Petunias will spread and bloom again and again all summer if you pick the bloom as it wilts.