How to give your Flowering Planters the 'X' Factor

How to give your flower planters the ‘X’ factor

When it comes to creating a flowering planter, the default method is to plant one type of flowering plant, either in a single colour or a combination. They will look pretty but there is a way that you can ‘level up’ and create flowering planters that have a lot of visual interest by utilising different heights, textures and growth habits.

The idea is called ‘Thriller, filler, spiller’ and it helps you select the appropriate plants to work together.

The Thriller is as the name suggests, the star of the show! It’s going to be the tallest and showiest of the plant choices. You want something that is going to look good for a long period of time.

You can use a perennial as the thriller which can then be planted out in the garden after the season changes or it outgrows the pot. Alternatively a large growing annual flower will work fine too, especially if you like to change your pots in each season.

The Filler plays an important role as the supporting cast. They are generally a ‘mounding’ plant and fill in the spaces and can add contrast with colour to make the thriller look good. The filler is what makes the planter nice and full in appearance.

The Spiller adds an extra element to the planter, spilling over the pot edge and softening the lines between the plants and pot. They can add texture and colour to contrast against the other plants. They don’t even have to flower, a foliage plant can work really well in this situation.

To start you will need to decide whether the pot will be viewed from all sides or just from the front as this determines where you place the components and how many you need.

If the pot is viewed from the front only, the thriller goes at the back, the fillers in the middle and the spillers at the front.

If the pot is viewed from all sides, the thriller goes in the middle, the fillers surround it and the spillers are placed around the edge of the pot.

When selecting the plants, consider what you want to achieve with colour. Do you want something that stands out, that is bright and colourful? If so, choosing colours that are bright and that contrast beautifully are going to give you plenty of impact. Think colours that are opposites on the colour wheel or using white to contrast against dark colours.

If you like colour but still want something more harmonious, use different shades of the same colour to create a tonal effect.

Alternatively you can go for something more neutral in colour and let the textures be the champion. Using tones of greens with white or silver or using the paler, icy shades of colours will work well in this situation.

These are suggestions to get you started on selecting your plant combinations.

Thriller plants - these don’t necessarily have to be flowering, they could be sculptural.

• Digitalis
• Perennial Salvias
• Tropical impatiens
• Gaura
• Juncus grass
• Dwarf Canna lily
• Dwarf Papyrus (Queen Tut)

Filler plants

• Achillea millefolium
• Tulbaghia
• Geranium
• Petunias
• Calibrachoa (mini bells)
• Verbena
• Coleus - part to full shade positions
• Heliotrope
• Impatiens - full to part shade positions
• Cineraria silver dust ( Dusty miller)

Spiller plants

• Agonis flexuosa
• Dichondra silver falls
• Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny) -For part shade positions
• Cascading Lobelia
• Cascading Scaevola (Fan flower)

Choose a combination that works for the situation where the pot will be (sun - shade) and for the size of the pot. A larger pot gives you the advantage of not drying out as quickly, especially when you have quite a few plants in the same space.

You can try a new combination each season or if you have a perennial as the thriller, you can ring in seasonal changes with different fillers and spillers.

Don’t forget to use a good quality potting mix, a slow release fertiliser formulated for flowering plants and water your pots regularly to get the best results. Have fun with choosing your combinations and enjoy the show they give this season!

Written for Gubba by Kelly Jean Reyland (www.gardenadvice.co.nz)