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Putting Together the Perfect Pot

Putting Together the Perfect Pot  By Andrew Scott, The Gardens on Spring Creek Horticulturist 

Annuals really are the perfect foray into gardening. There are thousands of varieties to choose from, they’re relatively inexpensive, and if you don’t like the design you made this year, you can always try something new next year or just plant another pot. It’s that first point that can give folks analysis paralysis though: if there are thousands of varieties to chose from, how can you know if you’re picking the right ones?  First of all, relax — they’re flowers, they’re all good. Second, these thousands of varieties can be set into just three categories that each have a unique role to play in annual design. Whether I’m putting together the pots in our Welcome Garden or planting the annual display beds on the Color Walk and Everitt Pavilion Stage terraces, all I have to keep in mind are thrillers, fillers, and spillers. 

Thrillers are the centerpieces of your design — the taller, bushier, vibrant spectacles that draw people in and make them say “wow!” If it catches your eye from across the garden center and pulls you in for a closer look, that’s a thriller. Dahlias, salvias, zinnias, snapdragons, and cosmos are all classic thrillers in Western container gardens and can be found at every flower shop. For a more tropical vibe, it’s hard to go wrong with canna lilies, cordyline, caladiums, and celosias (a lot of C’s!) which all bring some exotic flair to otherwise traditional container gardens. Don’t sleep on ornamental grasses either; fountain grass, bunny tail, papyrus, and corkscrew rush are all great picks if you prefer impressive sprays or zany displays of foliage to the usual flowers. I’ve even used lemongrass as a thriller to great effect!



Fillers aren’t necessarily as impressive as thrillers, but they’re also not supposed to be. If you had a pot filled with just thrillers, there wouldn’t be any contrast, and they would lose their punch; low growing plants play a critical role in containers by filling in spaces between your thrillers and spillers and breaking up the composition to give the container a sense of rhythm. Cuties like calibrachoa, lantana, verbena and impatiens come in a wide range of colors to fit the scheme you’ve chosen, but top out around eight inches tall so they don’t steal the show. Coleus is another classic filler grown for diverse foliage that comes in increasingly endless sizes, shapes, margins, and shades of mostly green and red but also yellow, orange, purple, and white.


Spillers help bring the container garden together by introducing some loosey-goosey softness that a rigid pot (usually) lacks. Nasturtium and petunias, especially Wave hybrid varieties, offer big, colorful blooms on top of their trailing habit, while sweet alyssum has spikes covered in hundreds of tiny flowers. Sweet potato vine and creeping jenny aren’t necessarily as showy but have attractive foliage that readily trails and doesn’t distract from the rest of the pot. Regardless of them being big bloomers or just having interesting foliage, make sure they’re planted on the edges of the pot so they have something to spill over. 

Beyond the function of each annual, color and texture are also things to consider that will add more dynamic to the container. You can read more in depth in our article on color theory here, but keep in mind the role of negative space as well. White may be the absence of color, but plants that aren’t too flashy on their own — like euphorbia hybrids and annual baby’s breath — add contrasting sprays of white to the vivid colors that you do want to show off.  

Keeping thrillers, fillers, and spillers in mind while splashing in a little color theory is really all you need when it comes to putting together an annual design. Whether it's your first time or you've been doing pots for years and years, get those creative juices flowing at our Spring Plant Sale on May 17 & 18 where you'll find not only a dizzying array of annuals but time tested perennials, veggie starts, and herbs! Below are some design ideas featuring annuals we’ll have in stock — get your free entry ticket and come snatch them up before they're gone!

Simple, Yet Adorable:
  • THRILLER: Dahlia 'City Lights Apricot Glow'
  • FILLERS: Calibrachoa 'Calico Starfire Blue' and Portulaca 'Pazzaz Mega Mango Twist'
  • SPILLER: Nasturtium 'Alaska Mix'
A Striking Balance of Light and Dark:
  • THRILLER: Osteospermum 'Gelato Passion'
  • FILLERS: Coleus 'Downtown® NYC Lights' and Euphorbia 'Euphoric White'
  • SPILLER: Ipomea 'Sweet Georgia® Black Maple'
Whimsical Delight:
  • THRILLERS: Verbana 'Cloud' and Laguras 'Bunny Tails'
  • FILLER/SPILLER: Petunia 'Crazytunia Cosmic Violet'
  • SPILLER: Ipomoea 'Sweet Georgia® Fine Lime'
Want even more inspiration? Check out this North Forty article highlighting additional perennial, annual, vegetable, and herb Plant Sale offerings from my colleague Kelly Kellow.


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