For a lush container that is sure to dazzle, use three types
of plants that perform different functions but work in harmony.
One of my favorite garden pastimes is cooking up new ideas
for planting containers. I’ve never bothered to count just how many pots I
plant each year, but the number easily tops 100.
But no matter how many pots I display, I’ve come to realize
there’s no mystery in making a scrumptious container planting as long as I
follow a simple three-ingredient recipe. First and foremost is what I call a
“thriller,” a centerpiece plant with star quality, something big, bold, and
beautiful. Then I add a few spicy “fillers,” foliage or flowering plants that
will complement but not overwhelm the main player. Finally, I add a savory
splash of mischief, a “spiller” that just tumbles out of the pot. As long as I
use each of those kinds of plants—in various proportions—and take care to
balance colors and textures, I can create a pot with pizzazz.
Thriller: Purple fountain grass ( Pennisetum setaceum
‘Rubrum’).
Filler: ‘Bellingrath Pink’ coleus ( Solenostemon
scutellarioides ‘Bellingrath Pink’).
Spiller: ‘Margarita’ sweet potato vine ( Ipomoea batatas
‘Margarita’).
As the name
implies, thrillers are the big, attention-getting star players. They are
usually tall, upright plants, with outstanding qualities—such as colorful
foliage, intriguing shape, or dramatic flowers—that last all season long. Many
thrillers are architectural: plants with structural, eye-catching form that can
serve as a sturdy backbone or rugged framework for a scrim of less substantial
plants. Think of the boldly colorful, paddlelike leaves of Canna ‘Pretoria’ or
the bright spikes of Yucca filamentosa ‘Gold Edge’.
Thrillers work best in compositions where they are the
tallest plant. For me, they are also the starting point in a container design.
I select my thriller, then build around it. At planting time, the thriller goes
in the center of a pot that will be viewed from all sides or at the back of a
pot that will be displayed in a corner or against a wall.
Agave. Agaves
(Agave spp. and cvs., Z 11)
Banana. Bananas
(Musa spp. and cvs., Z 8–11, and Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, Z 11)
Taro. 5.
Taros (Colocasia esculenta and cvs., Z 9–11)
Cannas (Canna
‘Pretoria’, ‘Tropicanna’, and ‘Black Knight’, Z 8–11)
Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’, Z 9–10)
Fillers add mass
Next, I add the fillers—billowy, more finely textured plants
that surround and weave through the thriller. Fillers add mass to the overall
composition and, more important, establish a dialogue with the thriller.
Fillers add a textural contrast or colorful counterpoint. In a monochromatic
composition, they may simply echo the thriller, though with less saturated
color or at a reduced scale. Texturally, I might use a round-leaved filler with
a spiky thriller. Since fillers are usually plants with a mounded silhouette,
they also do just what the name implies: They fill up the pot while embracing
the thriller. Often, they help by hiding the bare knees—the less interesting
stems or stalks—of their larger neighbor.
When planting a pot, I position my fillers around the
thriller. I often use a mix of plants for this job: some with foliar interest,
others with flowers. For flowery fillers, I avoid perennial varieties in favor
of uncommon, striking annuals or tender perennials for their much longer
flowering season. Since the goal of container plants is to attract the eye,
these plants add an alluring unusual flavor. I like bountiful-looking
containers, so I cram in as many fillers as I can.
More fillers for foliar effect
Persian
shield. Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus, annual)
Plectranthus.
Plectranthus (Plectranthus spp. and cvs., annual)
Begonias (Begonia
spp. and cvs., annual)
Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides cvs., annual)
Dusty miller (Centaurea cineraria ‘Colchester White’, Z 7–9)
Angelonia. Angelonia
(Angelonia angustifolia and cvs., Z 9–10)
Fairy
fan-flower. Fairy fan-flower (Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’, annual)
Heliotrope.
Heliotropes (Heliotropium arborescens and cvs., annual)
Pentas. Pentas
(Pentas spp. and cvs., annual)
Cupheas (Cuphea
spp. and cvs., annual)
Lantanas (Lantana camara cvs., annual)
Trailing petunias (Calibrachoa cvs., Z 8–11)
Spillers anchor the pot
I often have just enough room left to shoehorn in a few
spillers toward the edge of the pot. Sometimes it’s fun to unify a composition
by training a few tendrils of a spiller to climb into and through both the
filler and thriller. The main role of a spiller, however, is to sprawl over the
side of the container, softening its edges and tumbling toward the ground. When
parts of a container planting touch the earth, the pot looks rooted to its
place.
But spillers should do more than soften a pot and link it to
its place. Well-chosen spillers continue the dialogue begun by the thriller and
filler. To deepen that conversation, I look for spillers that echo or contrast
with the pot’s other plants by virtue of shape, color, or texture.
More great spillers
Alternanthera.
Alternantheras (Alternanthera spp. and cvs., annual)
Bacopas. Bacopas
(Sutera spp. and cvs., annual)
Nasturtium.
Nasturtiums (Tropaeoleum spp. and cvs., annual)
Golden
creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, Z 4–8)
Sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas cvs., Z 9–11)
Each plant
plays a role
Steve Silk
The photo
at right is a good example of a well-balanced container planting. Thrillers
like this New Zealand flax ( Phormium cookianum ‘Maori Sunrise’, USDA Hardiness
Zones 9–10) are the highlight of the container and are often where ideas
originate.
As a filler, salvia ( Salvia splendens cv., annual) is doing what any good
sidekick should do: make the hero—the thriller—look good.
A good spiller like licorice plant ( Helichrysum petiolare ‘Variegatum’, Zones
10–11) can end up being a mini-thriller, just growing down instead of up.
Keep scale in mind
Planting the right combination of thrillers, fillers, and
spillers creates a lush, intriguing composition rich in color, texture, and
form. It fills out a pot by exploiting space in every available direction—up,
down, and sideways. When selecting plants, I also consider the element of
scale. Though I often aim for extreme contrasts in terms of color combination,
texture, and shape, I like to use plants more closely related in size. I
usually try to group plants using fillers that are roughly between one-third
and twothirds the size of the thriller.
I also bear in mind that the boundaries between my three
basic plant types aren’t fixed. Depending on the arrangement and scale of a
planting, some fillers might get promoted to thriller, some fillers—many kinds
of verbena, for example—might spill a little, and some thrillers might
serve as fillers when paired with something larger and even more exotic. But
it’s not necessary to overthink the process. No matter what the specific plant,
using a thriller, a filler, and a spiller is a sure recipe for success.