The Basics

• Prior to picking your plants or color scheme choose the location for your mixed container.  Will it be a hanging basket or a patio pot? Is it a sunny or shady spot? Will you see the container from 3-sides or all sides?  These questions will affect the layout and what plants you select.

• Dynamic mixed containers have a combination of Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers.

• If you are seeing the container from 3-sides; start with your thriller in the back, working forward.   If you are seeing the container from all sides; place the thriller in the center and work outward in all directions.

• Remember to be careful when mixing aggressive and less aggressive plants together in a single container.  Avoid placing them directly next to each other.

• Before planting, check that your container has drainage holes in the bottom.  Drill 2-3 holes if necessary.

Thrillers

• Usually the tallest plant in the container.  Thrillers grab your attention and serve as the backbone of the combination.

• Thrillers include: angelonia, coffee cups, coleus, cordyline, perilla, dragon wing begonia, persian shield, salvia, spikes, etc.

Fillers

• Tend to be your mid-sized and bushy plants.  They are shorter than the thriller, but taller than your spiller.  Fillers fill out and give body to the combination.

• Fillers include: diamond frost, geranium, new guinea impatiens, pentas, plectranthus, strawflower, sunpatiens, etc.

Spillers

• Are the plants that go over the edge and trail down towards the ground.  Spillers offer visual balance and serve as the tail of the planting.