How To Use The Perfect Planter Combo For A Joanna Gaines-Inspired Garden

As the brilliant woman behind Waco's lifestyle empire, Magnolia, Joanna Gaines knows a design classic when she sees one. And this simple formula that everyone should use when designing a container garden is no exception. Like many that came before her, Gaines advocates using the classic combo of thrillers, fillers, and spillers in containers to get an exciting and vibrant mix of plants that makes a plain planter look like a million bucks.

First up are thrillers, aka tall or spiky plants that add height to your container mix. In this category you will see plants like fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'). Next, fillers are the bushier plants that fill the empty space in the planter. Foliage-heavy plants, such as coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) often work well in this capacity. And, finally, you have spillers, which are typically vining plants that grow over the edge and spill toward the ground. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) is a popular option.

The goal of mixing and matching plants of different heights and growing habits ensures your plants work together in harmony to provide plenty of visual interest. Whether you have abundant sun or tons of shade, there are plants that fit into the thriller, filler, and spiller categories. You can use tried and true combinations or experiment with your favorite plants.

Which plants you will choose will ultimately depend on things like how much sun you get, the size of your container, and the overall style you're going for. Luckily, there are plenty of options. Thrillers tend to start at about 18 inches, but don't be afraid to go bigger. Flowers like angelonia (Angelonia angustifolia) come in a variety of colors and can grow bigger or smaller depending on the conditions. These bring a cottage garden vibe to your container, while something like elephant's ear (Alocasia) may lend itself to a more modern or tropical garden.

While plants that provide foliar interest, like silver-hued dusty miller (Senecio cineraria), tend to be popular filler plants, they aren't the only option. Vigorous flowers like petunias (Petunia), especially varieties that are bred to trail, make great fillers in almost any container. Lantana (Lantana camara) is another popular filler, but trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) can pull double duty as a spiller. Learn how to care for heat tolerant trailing lantana if this seems like a plant you want to add to your container garden.

Spillers like golden creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') can bring a pop of color to the mix, while nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) will also bring more blooms to the container garden. Learning more about the best container plants will help you decide which options are right for your space.