While the “Thriller-Filler-Spiller” design technique is a great way to get started 
on a beautiful container, there are other things to think about when considering plants for an exciting outdoor planter that will WOW your neighbors and guests. While the number one most important thing to think about when creating an outdoor planter is what plant will do well in your specific conditions (i.e. sun, shade, moisture levels, intended care etc.) there are two additional elements that can really add to your container creativity. They are: Color and Texture. Don’t be afraid tostray from the shelves of annuals; consider adding some plants from the perennial section to add unexpected interest in your outdoor planter.
Take a look at the photos of the plant groupings that I have chosen and a brief description of each container plantings. Consider some of these suggestions next time you are filling your outdoor planters. Trying new plants and combinations can give your property a fresh new look.
Red Container Recipe:
This grouping is a playoff of the “Geranium, Vinca, dracaena” mix. The combination is pretty much the same, but each of these choices offers a little bit more interest than the typical go-to 
mix. For instance, the variegated geranium adds extra depth, while the sweet potato vine has a bold leaf and color that plays well with the other plants. The begonia adds more color and does well in sun, as do all of the other plants in this mix.
Ingredients:
Geranium ‘Wilhelm langguth’
Cordyline ‘Electric Flash’
Begonia ‘Yang Red’
Sweet Potato Vine ‘Sweet Caroline light green’
Yellow Container Recipe:
This monochromatic grouping was done to show how using a single color palette, yellow, can highlight the differences in the yellows and how each play off one another. It also shows how something like hosta, which is a foliage plant, can contribute to a container to give it much more interest.
Ingredients:
Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’
Crocosmia ‘Norwich Canary’
Hosta ‘Wolverine’
Super cal (Petunia x Calibrachoa) Light yellow
Sweet Potato vine ‘Sweet Caroline light green’
Zinnia ‘Gold Star’
Shade Container Recipe:
While shade containers may be more limiting on profusely flowering plants, shade opens the door to exciting textured plants. Heuchera is a favorite of mine. I like to add this bold leaf with an equally exciting color 
floral that thrives in shady locations. This grouping again demonstrates the versatility of perennials.
Ingredients:
Carax ‘Appalachian Sedge’
Fern ‘Lady in Red’
Heuchera ‘Obsidian’
Browallia ‘Marine Bells’
New Guinea Impations ‘Magnum Purple’
Lysimachia ‘Gold Creeping Jenny’
Vine Container Recipe:
This container plays off of the old “Thriller-Filler-Spiller” saying that people use to create well-rounded and upscale looking containers. Instead of using a spike or grass I used three sticks tied with twine at the top to offer support for the Mandavilla to climb. I added Euphorbia as filler, and then the Verbena and Sweet Potato Vine as a spiller.
Ingredients:
Mandavilla
Euphorbia
Verbena
Sweet potato vine
White Container Recipe:
This combination is for the person with an overly colorful garden! sometimes you need to take a breather after looking at an exciting landscape filled with every color of the rainbow! For this 
one I picked all “black and white”, (Really dark and white since we don’t have any black foliaged plants). Really make sure to pay attention to flower texture when picking all white flowers. The four I used are in all different shapes to put more emphasis on each different type of flower.
Ingredients:
Heucher ‘Obsidian’
Potato Vine ‘Sweet Georgia Heart Purple’
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’
Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum ‘Freak’
Angelonia-white
Cordyline ‘Red Star’
All of these groupings are sure to 
bring color and interest to your property; but don’t stop there! Consider these beauties; they offer the unexpected when your family and friends visit. These aquatic planters are called patio ponds and they certainly fall into the outdoor planter category. If you would like to see what you can do with your creative outdoor planter, and learn how to create your very own please watch the video below! Also, we would love to see pictures of what you create at home! Please send us an email to show us your creative outdoor planter ideas.
