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Spring Planter Guide: Create Your Own Fresh Blooms!

Spring Planter Guide: Create Your Own Fresh Blooms!

Are you overwhelmed when deciding which plants to put in the planters in front of your home? With so many types of plants and colors to choose from, it can be a lot to take in.

If you feel this way, don't worry – we can help. It's easier than you think.

Let's get started!

Before you begin, you want to make sure your planter has good drainage. If you have a larger planter that you want to use but do not want to fill it with soil, then consider getting a fiber pulp planter that is the same width as your decorative planter to set in. This option makes fall cleanup easier, too. Plus, you need to keep in mind where your planter is going to be because you will want to select plants that do well in the sun or the shade, and you want to make sure you do not mix sun and shade plants. Also, try not to mix high and low-water plants either.

When putting together a planter, you want to pick colors that will complement each other while also being a color that will add a pop against the backdrop of your home and/or garden. We advise a balance of plants with some height, fullness, and, of course, something trailing over the sides. Simply put, you want a thriller, a filler, and a spiller!

 

Fig. 1: Here's a spring planter example. The plants used are: For your thriller, Canna Cannova® Bronze Orange, your filler, Lobelia Magadi™ Compact Dark Blue, Petunia Headliner™ Electric Purple, and Bidens Orange Bee Happy™, and your spiller, Plectranthus Guacamole. 

Thriller:

Your thriller can be something tall, like a

  • Dahlia,
  • Salvia,
  • Grass,
  • Coleus,
  • Dracaena, or
  • Canna.

It can be placed in the middle of the planter or towards the back, depending on whether the planter will be placed against a wall or a fence or if it will be visible from all sides, like on a patio where people can see around it. Many plants will have a tag that tells you their height when fully grown.

Filler:

Then comes the filler. Fillers are bushy, upright plants that bring color and fullness to your planter. Examples are Lobelia or Bidens. Petunias can also be used as a filler, depending on your desired spiller. If you want to get creative, you can even use herbs like Lavender as your filler.

Spiller:

Finally, add your spiller, a pretty trailing plant like a

  • Potato Vine,
  • Petunia,
  • Creeping Jenny,
  • Calibrachoa, or
  • Creeping Charlie.

If you are wondering how many of each plant you will need, that depends upon the size of your planter. In our 15-inch fiber pulp planters at The Plant Farm®, we use one to two nice-sized thrillers, two to three fillers, and two to three spillers, depending upon the type of plants and what we want our planter to look like. Many plant tags will also provide you with details about how wide the plant will get when fully grown. It’s really up to you. Let your creativity flow! It is like painting; let the planter be your blank canvas.

Other things you will want to keep in mind are:

  • Make sure the plants in your planter are geared toward the sun or shade and needs of your area. You do not want to mix sun and shade plants.
  • Sun-loving bloomers need 4-6 hours of sun each day. You can check the plant tags to know which plants prefer sun and shade.
  • You will also want to try not to mix high-water and low-water plants. Again, the plant tags can help with this.

Here are some suggestions for shade-tolerant bloomers:

  • Coleus,
  • Bleeding Hearts,
  • Hostas,
  • Begonias,
  • Fuchsias,
  • Snapdragons,
  • Lobelias,
  • Alyssum,
  • Impatiens,
  • Violas, and
  • Bacopas.

And some sun-tolerant bloomers:

  • Marigolds,
  • Geraniums,
  • Salvia,
  • Sedum,
  • Zinnias, and
  • Cosmos.

As your planter grows, you will want to ensure that it gets enough water, that you are using a systemic for bugs every four weeks, that you are fertilizing regularly, and deadheading any spent blooms. If you do these things, your neighbors will envy your green thumb skills because your planter will fill in and look stunning all summer. Plus, you can enjoy a gorgeous-looking planter and have fun making it, too!

Fig. 2: We carry these fertilizers and systemic products in our retail store.

 

  

Figs. 3-4: Spring planter thriller, filler and spiller examples.

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