I planted a couple of my flower pots, but I am keeping them in the garage for another week or so, until our Utah weather is a little bit warmer! My good friend, Susan, works at a nursery and a few years ago she taught a class on how to plant your flower pots. I usually plant about 14-15 pots and baskets every year! I love them, but I am nuts because I have to hand water most of them. Crazy, I know.
In the class she taught that you need, “Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers” The “Thrillers” are what you put in the center that catches your eye. A lot of times I have used the grasses for my thrillers, but this year I am trying something different and using begonias in these pots. In some other pots I am using a Coleus for the thriller.
The “Fillers” are what you put around the “Thrillers”. I have often used petunias, marigolds, begonias, etc. but for these planters I am using the fun Diamond Frost. I love the look of bacopa in my pots, but it is so temperamental that I have quit using it and I am going to try this. I love the lacy look that it gives. 
and this Dark Blue Scaevola. It will also be part of the “Spillers”.
This Creeping Jenny is actually a perennial and it grows really fast and will be my “Spiller”, because it will spill over the sides of the pots. Another “Spiller” that I use all the time is a Sweet Potato Vine.
So you need to start with some good potting soil and you can also add a fertilizer to the soil to give the plants a good head start. Start with your “Thrillers” in the center of the pot. You will always want to work in odd numbers, so I planted 3 begonias for my Thrillers.
Next add your “Fillers”, again use odd numbers
I then added more fillers and my “spillers”. My pots are pretty full, but I love to have big full pots and there is still room for the plants to grow and spill over the top!
These are the different plants that I used in these pots. All of these plants are shade plants because they will go on my front porch and they do not get very much sun.
I love the look of these pots and they almost have an English Garden look with the Diamond frost in it. I will try to remember to take pictures in the summer, when they are spilling over the top.So do any of you plant flower pots? What is your favorite flower to use, I would love to hear from you.
I love this! As a beginning planter this tutorial is just what I needed! Thank you so much :)
You are welcome. I know when I learned how to do this, it helped me out so much too! Good luck with planting your pots! And thanks for your comment.
I love the Creeping Jenny! I always love trailing plants. My favorite right now is the succulent, String of Pearls. I’m using them alone in a tall ceramic planter. When they grow longer they look like water spilling over the edges.
Thanks for sharing your planting tips! Love your arrangement!
Ooh, now I am going to have to try the String of Pearls, they sound wonderful! Thank you so much for your comment.
Wonderful information! Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday :)
I was SO excited about this post. I have benches on my front porch that have pots on each end. I put flowers in them each year but have never absolutely LOVED how they’ve turned out. The Thriller, Filler and Spiller idea is something I can remember! I even had my husband look at your blog with me before we went shopping. And Rita – he TOOK NOTES! So…. tomorrow we will be planting. I’ll let you know how they turn out. THANKS A BUNCH!
Great! Good luck with your planting!
Very informative. I have to try this Thriller, Filler, SPiller rule!
I love Diamond Frost so much, I just repot into bigger flower pots. Can’t explain it, it’s just one of those things that grabbed me years ago and I buy every year.