Combination Recipes…Easy as 1, 2, and 3

There are 3 key ingredients in making breathtaking container plantings: Thriller, Fillers, and Spillers. Planting the right combination of the 3 ingredients creates a lush, interesting container rich in colour, texture and form. Remember to keep proportion in mind; try to use fillers that are roughly between 1/3 and 2/3 the size of the thriller.

Thrillers: A dramatic and eye-catching centerpiece plant that is usually big, bold and beautiful. These architectural or structural plants are usually tall, upright plants, with outstanding traits such as: colourful foliage, dramatic flowers or intriguing shape. As a general rule, the thriller is planted in the center of the pot that will be seen from all sides or at the back of a pot that will be placed in a corner or against a wall.

Examples of Thrillers:

1. Banana
2. Caladium
3. Canna
4. Cordyline: Tried & True Cordyline Red Star
5. Dracaena
6. Gaura: Tried & True Gaura Cynthia, Erica and Olivia
7. Grasses
8. Hosta
9. New Zealand Flax (Phormium)

10.  Purple Fountain Grass

11.  Taro (Colocasia)

12.  Yucca

Fillers: Flowering or foliage plants to complement, but not overshadow the thriller plant. They add mass and fill up the overall composition of the container. Fillers serve as textural contrast and tend to be more airy, more finely-textured plants that surround the thriller. 

Examples of Fillers:

1. Argyranthemum
2. Begonia: Flare and Orchid Series
3. Calibrachoa: Sweet Bell Series and Sweet Chimes Series
4. Coleus: Sunny Series
5. Cuphea: Lavender Lace and Eternal Flame
6. Gazania: Amarillo, Azteca, Rojo and Rosa
7. Geranium: Calliope Dark Red
8. Heliotrope: Sachet and Cool Blue
9. Lantana: Scentimental Series

10.  Osteospermum: Impassion Series

11.  Persian Shield: Strobilanthes Purple Passion

12.  Petunia: SunPassion Series, SweetSunshine Series and Tiny Treasure Series

13.  Scaevola:  Blue Laguna and Diamond

Spillers:   The main objective of these trailing plants is to spill over the side of the container, creating a softer edge and tumbling toward the ground. The pot visually looks anchored or grounded to its location. Choose spillers to echo or contrast with the other plants in the container, keeping in mind their shapes, colours, and textures.

Examples of Spillers

1. Alternantheras
2. Bacopa: Blueberry Shake, Grape Shake, and Vanilla Shake
3. Brachyscome: Oregon Blue and Virginia Violet
4. Calibrachoa: Sweet Bell Series and Sweet Chimes Series
5. Diascia:  Light Pink, Peachy, Red Flag, Snow Drift and Sunrise
6. Helichrysum: Azure Sunset and Golden Sunset
7. Ivy Geranium
8. Lantana: Scentimental Series
9. Lobelia: Crystal Waterfall, Dark Blue Angel, Icy Blue Waterfall and Lavender Waterfall

10.  Lotus Vine: Gold Flash and Red Flash

11.  Nasturtiums: Tropaeolum Banana Split and Red Wonder

12.  Petunia: SunPassion Series, SweetSunshine Series and Tiny Treasure Series

13.  Setcreasea: Purple Heart and Pink Stripes

14.  Sweet Potato Vine: Ipomoea Chocolate and Lime

15.  Torenia: Dream Series

16.  Verbena: Star Dreams Series and Twinkle Series

As long as these three types of plants are used in proportion, making sure to balance colour and textures, you can create a spectacular and breath-taking container.