Creating Thrilling Fall Container Gardens
By Misty Johns, Coastal Greenery, Inc.
The goal for a lot of home and business owners this time of year is to create the “look” that you see in all the fall magazines. You know what I am talking about--the picture of a front porch adorned with tin washtubs or baskets full of colorful fall plants positioned carefully amongst cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds, and bales of hay. Of all the décor that you can place on your porch, the container gardens seem to be the roadblock for a lot of people. With a little plant knowledge and the simple terms “thriller,” “filler,” and “spiller,” you too can create a gorgeous fall container garden.
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
Start the container garden with a “thriller” plant. This is a plant that is bold, makes a statement, draws your attention; in short this is the focal point of the container. A thriller needs to possess height. Some good choices are ornamental grasses, salvias, boxwoods, dwarf alberta spruce, and rosemary. The position of the thriller inside the container will be determined by the location of the container on your property. The thriller also sets the course for the placement of the other plants. If the container is going against a wall on both sides of a front door, you will place the thriller at the back of the container. If the container will be viewed on all sides, for example, sitting on porch steps, you will need to place the thriller in the middle of the container.
The “filler” is the second plant that you choose for the container garden. Filler plants are plants that expand where they are planted. Filler plants include marigolds, chrysanthemums, lantana, coleus, pansies, kales, mums, crotons, and many more. A filler should be planted in the container so that it fills in the open space beneath the thriller.
The “spiller” is the last plant to go into the container and adds a little icing on the cake, so to speak. It’s called a spiller because it spills out over the edges of the container. Spiller plants include, but are certainly not limited to, sweet potato vine, English ivy, creeping jenny, sedums, and bougainvillea. Just a tip for spillers: space them out around the edges of the container so they spill over the edge at several places on the container.
Ben Galland, h2o creative group
As with any container garden, you will need plant knowledge of how much water and sunlight your plants require. You don’t want to combine a plant that needs a lot of water with one that can’t tolerate that. The same goes for sunlight. You also need to know how the plant will grow. You do not want your filler plants to grow taller than your thriller plant. So, do a little research on plants that you would like to use or ask your local nursery to help you.
One last tidbit: you can cut out one of these types of plants to have a thriller and spiller, thriller and filler, or filler and spiller pairing. Betcha can’t say that three times fast!
Coastal Greenery’s team of 35 friendly, knowledgeable and hardworking landscapers provides both residential and commercial service from their business at 1243 Old Jesup Road in Brunswick. Call them at 912.261.8171 or visit their website at coastalgreenery.com.all, you know!
