Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers

Let’s chat a little bit about planting flowers in planters! Planters are one of the quickest and easiest ways to add some summer excitement to any area of your yard. I like to place pots on my front steps and back porch! I also usually put a couple of them in my landscape gardens to add some height and interest!

You may have heard the saying “thrillers, spillers, and fillers” before when people talk about planting pots or containers. This is an easy formula to follow to ensure a gorgeous planter! Each planter should contain at least one of each of these types of plants. Depending on what look you are going for, some plants may fit into multiple categories. Now, let’s look a little bit more at theses categories and the role they play in your planter!

Thrillers

Thrillers are the plants that really catch your attention and tend to grow upright adding height to your arrangement. They are generally fairly bold and my favorite are usually colorful! Geraniums and Daisies are a great floral example, but certain types of vines and climbing plants work great too! If you choose a vining or climbing plant as your thriller, consider placing some type of support for them to grow on. You might also be familiar with the thick grassy looking spikes some people place in the center of their pots… simple thriller!

For my front porch pots this year, I’m planting geraniums and rudbeckia as my thrillers. Last year, I used snap dragons!

Fillers

Fillers are the plants that really complete your arrangement. They have a spreading habit and make the pot look full and complete. You can use a single variety or multiple varieties of fillers in a single pot. Some of my favorite fillers are petunias! They are easy to grow and care for (not so easy to start from seed, but possible)! I also really like alyssum, moss roses, and nemesia. When you are planning your containers, consider your color combinations and what you want your overall style to be. Again, I really like colorful pots, so I generally choose coordinating colorful plants for both my thrillers and fillers!

This year, I’m thinking a variety of petunias to pair with my rudbeckia! I might also use geraniums as a filler depending on if I use a spike or something as a thriller for those arrangements. So many choices! 🙂

Spillers

Spillers are the plants that may or may not help to fill the planter, but will spill over the planter due to a cascading growth habit. Vinca vine, bacopa, or any “trialing” or “creeping” varieties of plants make excellent spillers! These also really make your arrangement look full and gorgeous! Personally, I tend to prefer something leafy looking with variations of green or possibly some white or neutral colored flowers as my spillers. My favorite to date is probably vinca vine!

I saved and propagated some vinca vine from my planters last year after buying it at the greenhouse, so I have some to use in my planters this year. I also bought bacopa seeds which I am excited to try out!

At the end of the day, this “formula” just serves as a guide to designing your planters. Many plants can fit into multiple categories. The most important thing is to just have fun designing and trialing different combinations. If you need ideas or inspiration, check out the internet or the social media pages of any of your local greenhouses! One of the greenhouses in our area shares a lot of planters with the names of the varieties in the planter on facebook. They also have a row of trial planter arrangements on display each year!

There are so my possibilities! I really like to take pictures of combinations or specific plants that I like and save them on my phone while making a note of the variety/varieties used. That helps me determine what I want to try planting for the following year. Also be sure to take pictures of your own planters if you love them and note what you used so you can refer to it again!

I am getting so excited to get in the garden and have major spring fever! I will share my planter arrangements with you as soon as I make up my mind as to what combinations I want to try this year. I would also love to hear what you like to plant in your pots if you are willing to share! 🙂 Spring will be here soon! Happy planting! 🙂