by Stephanie Brash
Are you stuck in a rut with your annual containers? Do you do the same thing year after year because it feels safe?
Well, it’s time to break free! Let’s walk through the process of creating containers that are as colourful and fabulous as they are unique.
I always start my gardening season with a stroll through my favourite garden centres to see what’s new and fun. I choose a few plants that appeal to me individually, knowing I’ll work them into planters somehow. Don’t be afraid to buy a stunning, dramatic plant you’re not sure what you’re going to do with yet. Pick plants of any shape, colour and size you immediately are drawn to.
A good guide to planning your containers is to follow the “thriller, filler, spiller” formula:
Thriller
Choose a dramatic thriller: You want one real attention-grabbing plant to take centre stage in your container. A “thriller” plant will typically have an upright growth habit with either non-stop blooms, dramatic leaves, or both. In containers viewed from all sides, position a thriller in the centre. If your container is against a wall, place it in the back. The most popular thriller choice is a spike, or Dracaena, but other wonderful choices include canna lilies, Agapanthus, Coleus, dragon wing begonia, ornamental fountain grass, Cleome, Alocasia, large dahlias… whatever appeals to you! Make a statement!
Filler
Plant some fillers: Filler plants complement the thriller, and typically have mounded or spreading shapes. They fill in the soil gaps between the thriller and the edge of the pot, bridging the tall thrillers and the plants that trail over the sides. Fillers can be a single plant species, or a mixture of several different plants. Typical fillers include petunias, impatiens, marigolds… all are beautiful and will flower all season. Consider something different: lantana, gaura, euphorbia, coleus… garden centres have so many unique options. Read the tags and look for plants with mounding habits and a spread and height of up to 12-18 inches.
Spiller
Fill in with spillers: Spillers are trailing plants that drape down over the edge of your pot, adding another dimension to your design. Plant spillers along the edges of the pot to soften the feel of the planter, and in openings left between the fillers. Feel free to push plants into place and move things around if it’s a bit of a tight squeeze; annuals grow rapidly and will recover quickly. Calibrachoa (million bells) is a staple as a spiller, look for new colours that are always being introduced. Other fun choices are creeping zinnia, bacopa, licorice plant, sweet potato vine, scaevola, verbena, fuschia, wave petunias, ivy, silver falls… as long as it has a trailing habit, you can’t really go wrong here.
Remember, nursery staff love to talk plants. If you’re feeling apprehensive about designing a container from scratch, ask for help. Look at some examples and make mental notes of what appeals to you and makes you happy. Plants can be interchangeable: what serves as a filler in one pot could be a thriller in a smaller pot. Think of your garden as a reflection of you… there are no wrong choices!
Consider this: Houseplants with pretty patterns, colours and foliage variation are fun to add to your annual containers for a bit of extra interest! Spider plants, Tradescantia (aka wandering dude), Philodendron, Alocasia… most houseplants will benefit from the brighter light and increased air movement they’ll get from the outdoor growing season. With consistent watering and the occasional dose of fertilizer, they’ll come back into the house in autumn looking refreshed and lush.
This series of gardening articles brought to you by the Simcoe County Master Gardeners, members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario. For more information, visit www.simcoecountymg.ca.