Filler, Thriller, Spiller: The Ultimate Guide to Stunning Container Gardens

If you’ve ever admired a perfectly balanced flower pot and wondered how to recreate the look at home, there’s a simple design formula behind those eye-catching arrangements: Filler, Thriller, Spiller. Whether you’re new to container gardening or want to level up your patio planters, this tried-and-true method brings instant style and harmony to any pot.

What Is the Filler, Thriller, Spiller Formula?

The “filler, thriller, spiller” method is a design approach used to create visually dynamic container gardens. Each component plays a specific role in the overall aesthetic:

• Thriller: The bold centerpiece — usually the tallest and most striking plant.
• Filler: The middle layer — lush, mounding plants that add volume and texture.
• Spiller: The trailing edge — plants that cascade over the container, softening the edges and drawing the eye downward.

By combining these three elements, you create a balanced, layered effect that’s pleasing from every angle.

1. Start with the Thriller

Your thriller is the focal point — it adds height, drama, and vertical interest. Choose a plant with striking color, structure, or blooms.

Examples:

• Ornamental grasses (like Purple Fountain Grass)
• Canna lilies
• Dracaena spikes
• Elephant ears
• Upright coleus

Tip: Place the thriller in the center of a round pot or toward the back of a rectangular planter.

2. Add the Fillers

Fillers are medium-height plants that surround the thriller. They help fill in the space and provide a lush backdrop.

Examples:

• Petunias
• Begonias
• Calibrachoa
• Geraniums
• Coleus (bushy varieties)
• Impatiens

Choose complementary colors and textures to support the thriller without overshadowing it.

3. Finish with the Spillers

Spillers trail over the edge of the container, adding softness and movement. These plants complete the composition by drawing the eye downward and tying the arrangement together.

Examples:

• Sweet potato vine
• Creeping jenny
• Bacopa
• Ivy
• Lobularia
• dicondra

Mix one or more varieties for added interest — think variegated foliage with bold blooms.

SUN PLANTERS

Thrillers (Tall, eye-catching focal points)

• Dracaena spike (Cordyline)
• Lemon grass
• Canna lily
• Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’)
• Angelonia (summer snapdragon)
• Red salvia (Salvia splendens)
• Dipladenia
• Thunbergia (needs trellis)

Fillers (Mid-height plants for volume)

• Calibrachoa (Million Bells)
• Lantana
• Verbena
• Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)
• Alternanthera (Purple Prince)
• Geranium
• Euphorbia (Diamond Frost)
• Petunias (especially Wave varieties)

Spillers (Trailing over the edge)

• Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas)
• Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
• Trailing verbena
• Bacopa
• Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’
• Plectranthus
• Lobularia (stream varietes)

SHADE/PART SHADE PLANTERS

Thrillers

• Coleus (Choose upright varieties)
• Caladium
• Begonia (Pegasus)
• Impatiens ‘SunPatiens’ (part shade)
• Elephant ears (Alocasia or Colocasia)
• Dracaena spike

Fillers

• Begonias (especially Rex or wax begonias)
• Impatiens
• Torrenia (wishbone flower)
• Euphorbia (diamond frost)
• Ferns (like Boston or maidenhair ferns)
• Heuchera (Coral Bells)
• Fuchsia
• Ivy Geranium (can handle part shade)

Spillers

• English ivy (Hedera helix)
• Lamium
• Trailing fuchsia
• Golden creeping Jenny
• Vinca minor (Periwinkle)
• Creeping Wire Vine
• Dicondra

Don’t be afraid to use the same principles with an herb planter!

Container Gardening Tips

• Pick the right container: Make sure it has good drainage and is the right size for your plant selections. Here are some beautiful options! Here, here, and here
• Consider sun exposure: Choose plants that thrive in the same light conditions — full sun, part shade, or full shade.
• Feed and water regularly: Container plants dry out faster than garden beds. Keep them watered and fertilized for continuous blooms. I like using a good potting soil that has a slow release fertilizer and some kind of medium for moisture control… perlite, yucca, or coconut coir
• Switch it up seasonally: Use the same formula for seasonal arrangements — think pansies, ornamental cabbage and grasses in fall, or evergreens and twinkle lights in winter.

The filler-thriller-spiller formula isn’t just a design trick — it’s a roadmap to beautiful, professional-looking planters. Whether you’re decorating a front porch, balcony, or backyard, using this simple strategy will elevate your container gardens and help them shine all season long!

Find a list of my favorite planters, soil, supplies here!

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XO, Carly