Discover container gardening design tips and create a lush planter in 7 easy steps. Perfect for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike.
Welcome to the wonderful world of container gardening design! If you’re looking to create a vibrant and eye-catching planter, the thriller, filler, spiller method is your new best friend. This technique not only makes your containers look full and lush but also ensures each plant thrives.
Have you used this design technique before? I use it with all of my container gardens and centerpieces around my home and gardens.
Let’s dive in and chat about how to create a stunning container garden that will make your outdoor space pop.
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Container Gardening Design: A Step-By-Step Guide to Planting Potted Flowers
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, creating a beautiful container garden will level up your outdoor living spaces and garden rooms. This guide will take you through the process of planting potted flowers using the renowned thriller, filler, spiller method. We’ll cover everything from selecting the perfect container to choosing the right plants and arranging them for maximum impact.
Step 1: Choosing the Perfect Container For Your Design
The first step in creating a lush container garden is selecting the right container. The material, size, and shape of your container can significantly impact the health and aesthetics of your plants.
Opt for containers with good drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. If your planter is lacking drainage, grab a drill and make some holes so water can flow out.
Popular planter choices include terra cotta, which is porous and helps prevent root rot, and plastic, which is lightweight and retains moisture well. Whatever you choose, make sure your container complements your aesthetic and garden’s style.
Step 2: Understanding the Thriller, Filler, Spiller Method
The thriller, filler, and spiller method is a classic design technique that brings balance and visual interest to your container garden. Thrillers are tall, dramatic plants that serve as focal points. Fillers are medium-height plants that add fullness, while spillers are trailing plants that cascade over the sides of the container. This method ensures that your planter looks full and dynamic from every angle.
While shopping around the nursery, I look for flowers that would accentuate the planters I’m using. It’s also important to look at the plant’s light and watering needs so you group the right plants together in the proper location at your home. So read the plant tags to make sure make sure that they each have the same or similar light conditions as well as water conditions.
One of the things I like to do is group my plants together in the nursery to see how they look together. Are they aesthetically pleasing? I look at foliage, blooms, plant size, and the overall growing habit.
Step 3: Selecting Stunning Thrillers for Your Container Garden
Thrillers are the stars of your container garden. They should be tall, eye-catching, and placed in the center or back of the container. These plants add height and drama to your design, drawing the eye and providing a strong vertical element.
Here are some of my favorite thriller plants for containers.
- Canna Lilies (Canna spp.) Tall and vibrant, canna lilies add dramatic height and bold color to any container garden.
- Dracaena (Dracaena spp.) Known for its striking foliage, dracaena provides a strong vertical element and comes in various colors.
- Ornamental Grasses (Various species) Ornamental grasses, such as purple fountain grass, offer movement and texture with their tall, graceful blades.
- Elephant Ears (Colocasia spp.) With their large, dramatic leaves, elephant ears create a tropical feel and are perfect for making a bold statement.
- Cordyline (Cordyline spp.) Cordylines are known for their colorful, spiky foliage and add height and interest to container arrangements.
- Caladiums (Caladium spp.) Caladiums are prized for their large, heart-shaped leaves that come in a variety of vibrant colors and patterns, adding a striking visual element.
- Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus) With its feathery, bright green foliage, asparagus fern adds a delicate yet bold texture to container gardens.
- Prince Tut (Cyperus papyrus ‘Prince Tut’) This dwarf papyrus is known for its unique, spiky foliage that adds height and an architectural element to container arrangements.
Step 4: Adding Beautiful Fillers Into Your Design
Fillers add volume and texture to your container garden. These medium-height plants are placed around the thriller to fill in the space and create a lush look. These plants not only add color but also help to blend the thriller with the spiller, creating a cohesive and balanced design.
Here are some of my favorite fillers for planters.
- Begonias (Begonia spp.) Begonias are versatile plants that provide lush foliage and vibrant blooms, making them perfect for adding color and texture to container gardens.
- Impatiens (Impatiens spp.) Impatiens are known for their bright, cheerful flowers and ability to thrive in shaded areas, adding a pop of color to any container arrangement.
- Geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) Geraniums offer striking blooms and a variety of colors, adding both height and fullness to container gardens.
- Petunias (Petunia spp.) Petunias are popular for their abundant, colorful flowers that bloom throughout the growing season, filling in spaces beautifully.
- Lantana (Lantana camara) Lantanas are hardy plants with clusters of small, vibrant flowers that attract butterflies and provide a burst of color.
- Coleus (Coleus spp.) Coleus plants are known for their stunning foliage in a wide range of colors and patterns, making them an excellent filler for adding visual interest.
- Pansies (Viola tricolor var. hortensis) Pansies are cool-season favorites with cheerful, multicolored flowers that brighten up any container garden, especially in spring and fall.
- Dahlias Tender perennials with unique flowers that are perfect for cutting and adding color with texture.
Step 5: Choosing Elegant Spillers For Your Container Garden
Spillers are the finishing touch to your container garden, adding a cascading effect that softens the edges and creates movement. These trailing plants spill over the sides of the container, adding a lush and overflowing look that enhances the overall design.
Some of my favorite popular spiller plants for container gardening include:
- Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas) Sweet potato vine is known for its vigorous growth and striking foliage, available in various colors, making it an excellent choice for trailing over the edges of containers.
- Ivy (Hedera spp.) Ivy provides a classic look with its dense, trailing foliage, adding elegance and greenery to any container garden.
- Bacopa (Sutera cordata) Bacopa produces a profusion of small, delicate flowers and lush foliage that cascade beautifully, adding a soft, trailing element to container arrangements.
- Supertunias (Petunia hybrids) Supertunias are a type of petunia that are known for their prolific blooming and vigorous trailing habit, making them perfect spillers for adding vibrant color.
- Calibrachoa (Calibrachoa spp.) Often called “million bells,” calibrachoa plants produce abundant small flowers that cascade over the sides of containers, providing a continuous display of color.
- Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) Sweet alyssum is a fragrant, low-growing plant that produces masses of tiny flowers, creating a beautiful and aromatic trailing effect.
- Lantana (Lantana camara) Lantanas, while also effective as fillers, can serve as spillers in larger containers due to their spreading habit and vibrant flower clusters.
- Verbena (Verbena spp.) Verbena is prized for its long-lasting, colorful blooms and trailing habit, making it an excellent choice for adding a splash of color that spills over the edges of containers.
Step 6: Planting and Arranging Your Thriller, Filler, and Spiller Plants
Now that you have your plants, it’s time to arrange them in your container. Start by placing the thriller in the center or back of the pot, depending on the container’s placement.
Next, arrange the fillers around the thriller, ensuring even spacing. Finally, place the spillers near the edges of the container so they can trail over the sides.
Planting Your Container Garden Design: Step-By-Step Instructions
Supplies
- plants
- container
- potting soil
- weed fabric
- gloves
- scissors
- fertilizer
- hand trowel
Directions
- Cut weed fabric to size to fit inside the container.
- Add some potting soil with a hand trowel or cup so the plants have some soil to sit in.
- Check the planting depth by adding your plants while still in their plastic nursery pots. You want the soil line to match up with about an inch down from the top of the container. If more soil is needed to get the right depth, add more.
- Remove plants from plastic pots and fan out the roots before setting them in the container. This encourages the roots to grow out into the potting soil.
- Backfill with high quality potting soil, tamping it down as you go to remove the air pockets and making sure you cover the roots.
- Add a slow-release fertilizer like THIS ONE to the container, water well, and enjoy!
Step 7: Maintaining a Lush Container Garden
To keep your container garden thriving, regular care is essential. Water your plants consistently, as containers tend to dry out faster than garden beds.
- Watering: I use this drip irrigation kit set on timers for all of my window boxes, hanging planters, and container gardens so it is set and forget. It saves so much time for me as I don’t need to manually water and keeps plants consistently watered.
- Fertilizing: Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer to keep your plants healthy and blooming throughout the growing season. You can use a water-soluble fertilizer weekly if you like. I prefer to use this slow-release fertilizer so I feed them once at planting and don’t have to do it again.
- Deadheading: Deadhead spent flowers and prune as needed to encourage new blooms and maintain a tidy appearance. This will help keep your planters looking lush and beautiful all season long!
- Pruning: If you notice your plants like petunias or calibrachoa getting leggy by midsummer, cut them back to promote fresh new growth and lots of blooms!
Pay attention to their performance during the growing season. Watch the light and temperature requirements of your plants as you may need to move containers to more favorable locations if necessary.
Final Thoughts on Container Gardening Design
Creating a lush container garden using the thriller, filler, spiller method will enhance your home’s aesthetic. This design technique ensures a balanced and vibrant display mixing plants with different colors, textures, and blooms that will level up your outdoor living spaces and make them feel cozier.
Choose plants you love and experiment with different plant combinations and have fun creating your unique garden masterpiece. Happy gardening!
For more information about container gardening design and the thriller, filler, spiller method, please read this article from Fine Gardening.
What are you favorite plants and flowers to use with your container garden designs? I would love to chat more with you in the comments below!
To drill down on more beginner gardening techniques and tips, please read these posts:
- Flower Gardening 101
- Growing a Cut Flower Garden for Beginners
- Container Garden Ideas for Beginners
- How to Start a Vegetable Garden
- Herb Gardening for Beginners
Thank you for visiting the blog today!
Enjoy your day! xo
Want More Container Garden Ideas?
Growing gardens in containers is one of my favorite gardening activities to do. From designing to creating seasonal planters, you can do so much with a container garden!
Here are some ideas:
- Containers for Gardening – How to Choose the Right Container
- Easy Container Garden Idea for Fall
- Budget-Friendly Winter Container Garden Idea
- Easy Outdoor Planter Idea for Winter
For this project, the plants I chose are:
- anglaomena
- ivy
- begonia
- waffle plant red flame
