Container Gardening Basics: Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers
Container gardening basics: Thrillers, Fillers, and Spiller Plants. Lists of suggested container plants and container plant combination ‘recipes’ and examples
With spring fully here and summer not too far off, my mind is churning with everything garden. I’m planting my vegetable garden and pondering on what plants to add to my flower garden so that I can have cut flowers spring through fall. I am noodling all my containers and considering what combinations of plants to mix this year. While I love my vegetable and flower gardens, I always enjoy putting together my containers. I think it’s that I get to start with a brand new palette each year and find a combination of plants that really speak to me that makes container gardening so appealing to me.
I went to a Container Gardening workshop through my local Arboretum several years back and was introduced to the terms ‘thriller plants’, ‘filler plants’ and ‘spiller plants’ as they relate to container gardening.
I’m not sure who coined those terms, but I’ve seen them used by both Martha Stewart and Home Depot, as well as other sources when discussing Container Gardening Basics 101.
Container Gardening Basics: Thrillers, Fillers and Spiller Plants
The ‘Thriller Plant’ of your container will be that plant that is as its name implies…the real standout of your container garden.
Thriller Plants
This plant will typically be the taller plant, placed in the middle or back of your container and will feature dramatic foliage color, structure or flowers. I usually have one great Thriller plant in each pot.
Ornamental grasses, elephant ears, cannas, taros all make great thriller plants. Some other great choices are:
Agapanthus
Agave
Alocasia, Colocasia (Elephant Ear)
Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant)
Aster
Astilbe
Aucuba
Baptisia
Bletilla
Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet)
Canna
Echinachea (Cone Flower)
Hibiscus
Hosta
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Lobelia
Muhly Grass, Fountain Grass
Panicum (Panic Grass)
Rohdea (Nippon Lily, Japanese Sacred Lily)
Salvia
Yucca
In this pot, the thriller is the Golden Mop Cypress, with Strawberry Mop Coleus as the filler and the Ice Plant doing the duty of the spiller.
Filler Plants
The ‘Filler Plants‘ is the plant that will provide a textural or color contrast/complement to your ‘Thriller’ and help fill in your container garden.
When I’m putting my container together, I get my plants in my shopping cart to see if they play well together. I love how the purple grass is complemented by the pink Superbells (calibrachoa) and pink trailing antique rose, while the fluffy Diamond Frost (Euphorbia) plays counterpoint to the spikes of the grass in the planter below.
In this case, the ‘Spillers’, Superbells and Antique Rose, also act as fillers.
Filler Plants
Maidenhair Fern
Angelonia
Artemesia
Athyrium Fern
Begonia
Carex Grasses
Coleus
Cyclamen
Dianthus
Epimedium (Barrenwort, Bishop’s Hat, Fairy Wings, etc)
Cranesbill Geranium
Euphorbia (Diamond Frost)
Heliotrope
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Hosta
Lantana
Liriope
Lycoris
Nepeta (Catmint)
Oxalis (Wood Sorrel)
Pentas
Persian Shield
Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal)
Phlox
Pulmonaria
Ruelia (Wild Petunia)
Salvia
Scaveola
Sedum
Stokesia
Zephyranthes (Rain Lillies)
In this almost monochromatic pot, two different coleus (Colorblaze Keystone and Colorblaze Maroon) vie for the thriller’ plant position, while the Lantana does a great job as a filler plant and spiller plant.
The ‘Spiller Plant‘ is the plant that will tumble out of the pot, softening the edges. Look for a plant that will tie the 2-3 other plants together, complimenting or contrasting as need be.
Spiller Plants
Verbena
Wild Thyme
Emerald Carpet
Sweet Potato Plant
Euphorbia
Scaveola
Lobelia
Golden Creeping Jenny
Nasturtium
Licorice Plant
Lamium
There’s a lot of drama in this container with the Purple Sweet Potato Vine playing counterpoint to the Purple Fountain Grass, and the Red Sunstatia adding a bolt of color against the otherwise dark foliage of the container.
I think in a month or two, the Mandevilla vine in this pot will act as both the thriller plant and the spiller plant. I’ll have to remember to go back and take a photo to see how it all comes together.
Window boxes benefit from the same ‘recipe’ of thriller + filler + spiller. The purple Scaveola and Apricot Lace Superbells seem to be the thriller plant, with the white Bacopa and Emerald Lace Sweet Potato vine sharing the duties of filler and spiller.
Once you have decided on your Container Pot combination or ‘recipe’, play around in the dirt to determine the best placement; do you want your thriller to be right in the middle or off to one side? Make sure to add a slow-release fertilizer to the dirt when you plant your container garden.
We get most of our plants from our local Home Depot. They have an extensive variety of thrillers, fillers and spillers from which to choose to create your own “recipe”. They have a wonderful program by which you can Order Online Here and pick it up at your local store within hours or at your convenience.
So, do you have a Container Garden recipe, idea or plant combination that you love? If so, please share it. I gather for container garden recipes like I gather recipes for meals and you can see some of them here.
And, don’t forget! Container gardening isn’t just for the outdoors! You can do indoor container gardens as well.
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Lynn – thanks for the great tips – I still have a few planters left to fill and I am going to try your tips. I always wondered if there was a recipe that would helped in creating one . I found you at #WayWOW link-up.
Hi Debbie…I do love collecting container garden ‘recipes’. When you see one that works, why not borrow that idea for your home? I am so glad that I might be able to suggest some ideas and hope your garden looks beautiful this year.
Hugs, Lynn
Some of my containers look like they are exploding with plants right now, but I’ve got a few that I need to work on for late summer foliage. Great suggestions for the “thriller/filler/spiller” plants! I hadn’t heard those terms, but yes, that’s a great design approach for containers 🙂
Hi Liz, it’s always so trick to plant a container that looks good from early through late summer. Good luck with that. And the Thriller/Filler/Spiller ‘theory’ is so easy to remember and makes such sense when you are in the aisles browsing for your plants.
Thanks so much for swinging by today.
Hugs, Lynn
These are really beautiful! Sadly, my thumb is not so green. My neighbors have lovely flowers though!
? I’d imagine that with your wee ones running around you have very little time to do much of anything. They’ll be off in college before you know it and then you’ll have time to put together some fantastic container gardens. Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, LYnn
I am terrible at arranging container gardens. I can cut and water it but I do not really know what to plant together. Your containers are beautiful and I am going to use this post to go by as I fill this empty container in my yard! Thanks!
I’m so glad that I might have helped you in planting your container gardens. I really do love putting the combinations together, like I said, it’s rather like getting a recipe right. I hope you have fun putting your container together.
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend.
Hugs, Lynn
My hubby usually does all the containers, so I just filled him in and I got an eye roll…LOL! Actually, tomorrow I’m filling an old chair at our cottage and bought some plants for it the other day. I’ll share it on my blog next week, unless it turns out terrible…LOL. Have a great weekend and don’t work too hard. HUGS, Lynn! 🙂
You mean Mr. Cottage isn’t hip on the Thriller, Filler and Spiller method? Say it ain’t so! Tell him it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon! Can’t wait to see what you do with that old chair at the cottage. Have fun with it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs, LYnn
Lynn, this is so cool! I never thought about container gardening theory before. But, it makes perfect sense! Once I get some outdoor space, then I’ll know what to do with my containers. 🙂
Thanks so much for the ideas, Lynn. I just moved and have to cheer up a boring terrace we have upstairs.
Thanks for sharing with us at Sweet Inspiration, hope you have a wonderful week!
Hi Pili, planting container gardens is a sure fire and easy way to sprucing up an outdoor space. I am so glad to have prompted some ideas for you, but knowing your creativity, there is no doubt you will put your own creative spin on your planters.
Have a great week.
Lynn
I have not done any planters yet this year. I am so far behind! I love the sweet potato vine as the spiller, you can get it so many colors and varieties. And then I usually go for marigolds, geraniums lemon balm and then a lemon grass. All of the above, except for the sweet potato vine are supposed to ward off mosquitoes, and we definitely need that so we can spend time outside!
All the planters you used as examples are so lovely. I will definitely keep my mind on the thriller, filler and spiller when I do choose my plants! Thanks for the great tips!
Lynn, these are excellent tips for a newbie gardener like me! Thanks to your post now I have my plants list in hand to get the right plants for the urns we have 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!! xx
Hi Handan..it is handy to have a list to go by. But at the end of the day, they just need to all play well together. Have fun putting your urn gardens together. It’s a fun thing to do.
Thanks for swinging by today and sending wishes for a wonderful week.
Hugs, Lynn
I’m just going to sit here and admire a master at work. Respect for you Lynn and your amazing artistry! Beautiful living works of art!
Aw thanks Mary! But those aren’t all my planters..I WISH! I just take photos of planters I like and save the ‘recipes’.
Hope you have a beautiful week.
Hugs, Lynn
I’m new to gardening and looking to do 2 containers on my porch. Do I need to leave space between plants when I first plant my recipe?
Hi Melissa, that’s a great question but also one that is not real easy to answer.
If you are looking for immediate impact but not necessarily a long-term container garden, then you can really pack the plants in without a whole lot of space. The downside to this is that they will be more susceptible to disease and they just won’t thrive as they have no room to grow.
If you are looking to have a container grow throughout the season, then the rule of thumb I use is a plant for every 3-4 inches of pot diameter. So if you have a 12-inch pot you can put 3-4 plants in it. But take into consideration the spreading nature of plants versus the upright nature. Also, take into consideration whether you are talking a fast growing or slow growing plant and if you are planting from those little 6-pack cells or a larger 3″ pot.
If you are uncertain, you might gather some plants you like at your nursery and ask someone knowledgeable there about the growing habits and how many you could get in your container.
I hope that kinda help!
Hugs, Lynn