Thrillers

By: John Degroot

June 16 2012

Thrillers

Cheryl and I have the planting of our annual flowers down to a science.  We have our favorites: the Nicotiana, Nasturtium, Strawflower, Impatiens, and Lantana that go into their usual planting beds, then we tackle the containers.  We have close to 20 containers and have plans to add one or two more.

The small containers don’t give us much room for creativity and flexibility, but the big containers allow us to plant a variety of plants.  We always pick the thrillers first, and then add some fillers and finally add one or two spillers to the edge of the container.  We always find that plants are happiest in large containers that don’t dry out too quickly.

Thrillers are the attention grabbing plants that normally sit in the centre of the container.  Thrillers act as focal points and bring drama to the garden.   They are unique and are often tall, have heavy texture, incredible flowers, impressive foliage or all of the above.

Thrillers don’t have to be bright and colourful in order to play their role in containers.  When choosing thrillers I often look for architectural effect and interesting forms or textures rather than blooms.

Plants with massive foliage top the list of my favorite thrillers.  Banana plants can easily grow to 5 feet in one season with their shiny leaves reaching 3 feet high.  Cannas have equally large leaves and will produce a bold flower later in the season.  Other plants with impressive foliage are Taro, Bird of Paradise and Castor Bean.

Almost any plant that is grown as a houseplant makes a nice container.  The many varieties of Palm, Citrus, Yucca and Draceana are fun choices.  These can be enjoyed all summer outdoors in their container, and then brought indoors before frost for growing through winter.

For a high impact plant with showy blooms, it will be hard to beat Hibiscus.  Leaves are dark green resembling small maple leaves.  Hibiscus’s claim to fame is their big bold blooms in pink, orange red and yellow.  Their distinctive flowers can be up to 10 inches in diameter.

Last year we planted an Oleander in a large container and we are now reluctant to bring it outdoors because it has a nice permanent home in our living room.

Tall grasses make interesting thrillers for containers.  Their fine texture and upright form add drama to the garden.  In late summer the grasses will produce plumes which sway back and forth.  Purple Fountain Grass is a popular choice with its dark foliage.  Other grasses that grow successfully in containers are Red Star Spike and Fireworks Fountain Grass.

Frugal gardeners may want to plant a Tomato in their container.  Tomato plants won’t be the prettiest choice for a container but their mediocre looks can be concealed with nicer looking fillers or spillers.

For a contemporary look, consider planting an evergreen in a container.  There are a host of dwarf evergreens that will do well in a pot, and if the container is large enough, the evergreen can be left in the pot for years.  In the past I have planted both a White Pine and White Spruce in a container with good success.  The evergreens will look good all year round and at Christmas a few festive accents can be added to bring Christmas outdoors.