Hanging baskets are a fabulous brightener for any outside space, but while ready-planted basket arrangements do look stunning, they can be pricey to buy. Plant up a basket yourself, though, and it can be tricky knowing the right combination of plants to choose, which is where this easy planting technique comes in.
Rather than keeping to just one variety of bedding plants or mixing plants up randomly and hoping for the best, the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ method for how to plant up a hanging basket works by combining just three elements, which creates a more balanced arrangement and rounded display.
Having had my fair share of gardening mishaps over the years and not always entirely sure of which planting combinations look good together, I was all for giving the method a go after hearing about it on a TV gardening show a while back. And now it’s the planting technique I always use, whether for hanging baskets or container gardening ideas.
What is the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ rule?
‘Simply put, thrillers, fillers and spillers are plants you can put in a container that have different heights and textures,’ says Nigel Lawton, plant buyer at Dobbies.
‘Using a mixture of these three plants creates a fuller looking container that has everything you’re looking for in a garden display, which is dimension, height and colour .’
‘When choosing your plants, make sure you pick colours that suit your container and other flower displays. The colours you choose entirely depend on your personal tastes, but usually one or two shades of complementary colours look best – for example, pink and white or purple and pink. ’
How I use the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ rule for my hanging baskets
When it comes to making up my own hanging baskets, I start by choosing the ‘thrillers’ first, which will be the most impressive plants and the focal point of the basket.
Go for tall, uprights that will give structure to your display and be positioned most prominently. Choose their spot depending on which angle the basket will be viewed from, centrally if it will be viewed from all sides or position your thriller at the back of the basket if it will be viewed front on.
Thrillers are often colourful flowering plants that grab the attention, but could also be more structural plants such as mini cordyline, like Thompson & Morgan’s lime passion cordyline or mini shrubs.
As it’s spring time, I’ve gone for two thrillers: A Nemesia (Dobbies’ Nemesia Wisley is what I planted), which stays compact and will flower throughout summer, together with a spiky cordyline as a more structural element.
Next, pick your ‘fillers’. The filler plants are rounded, mounding plants that will create fullness and add mass to the container. Fillers tend to be small-leaved plants and can be simple foliage or bright flowering plants that will add pops of colour.
Plant your fillers in the middle around the thriller plant, to add colour and texture and fill any gaps where soil is still showing. Fillers should complement your thriller plants and pull the look together.
I’ve gone for a mix of flowers, with pretty pale pink dahlias like these Starburst dahlias from B&Q that look bold but are compact, together with hot pink dianthus like this neon pink variety from Suttons that add high-impact colour and bushy foliage.
Finish off by choosing your ‘spillers’. As the name suggests, spillers are plants that trail over the sides of the basket, or ‘spill’ over and soften the edges, adding the finishing touch to the display.
Choose trailing greenery like ivy as a spiller (I love this ‘Goldchild’ variety from Crocus, or mini flowering plants that will add contrasting colour as well as foliage. Position spillers close to the edge of the basket.
I picked a combination of trailing ivy and bacopa (this Grandiflora Snowflake variety from Sarah Raven is lovely with its pretty white cascading flowers that will look prettier as the summer goes on.)
How to arrange your plant combination in a hanging basket
What you’ll need
For ease, rest your basket on a pot or bucket so it won’t wobble around as you fill it. Pierce a few holes in the plastic liner, which will aid with drainage.
Half-fill the basket with compost. ‘Go for a high-performance peat-free compost like Miracle-Gro Moisture Control, which retains moisture for longer and helps containers stay hydrated’, advises Sam Lanckmans, Horticultural Manager at Dobbies, Keston branch.
Add ‘thriller’ plants
Start with the thrillers first. I’ve positioned them centrally, toward the back of the basket.
The cordyline adds a spiky structural shape and the nemesia will look more eye-catching as summer goes on.
Shop my ‘thriller’ plant picks
Thompson & Morgan Cordyline Australis ‘lime Passion’
Suttons Allium Amplectens ‘graceful Beauty’
Sarah Raven Geranium X ‘Ann Folkard’
Fill in bare spots with ‘filler’ plants
Next, I planted my fillers around the thrillers, making sure that all the bare spots are filled.
I used two of each, alternating the dahlia with the dianthus, to break up the colour.
Shop my ‘filler’ plant picks
Sarah Raven Calibrachoa ‘can-Can Black Cherry’
Thompson & Morgan Cosmos ‘candyfloss Mix’
Suttons Coleus ‘rainbow Mix’ – Seeds
Soften with ‘spiller’ plants
Lastly, I finished off by adding my spillers at the front of the basket and going round towards the back.
I used four spillers – two ivy and two bacopa – positioned so that they trail over and soften the edges for a pretty finishing touch.
Shop my ‘spiller’ plant picks
Suttons Hedera Helix ‘goldheart’
Sarah Raven Sutera Grandiflora ‘snowflake’ (bacopa)
Crocus Tropaeolum Majus ‘ladybird Rose’
The finished result! On a sturdy hook and positioned in a sunny spot sheltered from the wind, it’s always good to give your hanging basket a good watering as soon as you’ve finished planting it up.
So will you be using the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ rule when making up hanging baskets for the garden this summer?
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