If you’re a container gardening enthusiast, you’re likely familiar with the “thriller, filler, spiller” (TFS) method. But while the “thriller” gets all the attention, the “spiller” is what gives a container a lush, finished look.
“The ‘spiller’ in the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ recipe is what gives a container that lush, finished, and intentional quality,” says McCauley Adams, principal designer and owner of Ramble on Rose Garden Design. “Spillers help make the container feel even more alive because greenery is literally spilling out of the pot or window box.”
While thrillers can provide an element of structure and height, and fillers give the container more depth, Adams explains, “the ‘spiller’ is the icing on the cake, as it makes your eye go from high to low or low to high. Without it, your eye would just stop at the edge of the container.”
To get that dramatic, trailing-over-the-edges fullness without fussiness, we asked gardening experts to share the low-maintenance spiller plants they love to use.
Meet Our Expert
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Sweet Potato Vine
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Sweet potato vine is a much-loved, much-used spiller—and Adams counts it as her favorite. “I typically use the bright chartreuse variety, but the deep purple, nearly black form is equally striking and creates a totally different mood,” she says. “What I love most is its versatility; it performs in both sun and shade and brings real depth through color alone.”
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Trailing Rosemary
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Herb lover? Consider adding trailing rosemary to your TFS mix, recommends Daniel McCurry, garden designer and co-founder of Father Nature Landscapes. Unlike the more common Tuscan Blue, which grows bushy and upright, the sun-loving trailing variety will show off its silver-green color, pretty purple blooms, and heady scent as it cascades over whatever container it’s planted in. You can even add to the herby theme with fellow spillers oregano and silver thyme.
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Creeping Jenny
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A pick of both Adams and McCurry, creeping Jenny brings a gorgeous cascade of chartreuse color to any container garden. “Creeping Jenny is technically a perennial and will often return, but I treat it as an annual and replant fresh each season,” Adams says. “The golden green color is hard to replicate, and starting with new plants keeps it looking its best.”
McCurry likes mixing it with dark purple and dark greens, and adds that it pairs well with strawberry begonia. “Ajuga, creeping Jenny, and strawberry begonia is like a bulletproof beautiful mix of trailers.”
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Silver Falls Dichondra
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McCurry calls Silver Falls dichondra “a sun-loving plant that is bulletproof!” A new favorite, he tried adding Silver Falls to his container garden mix for the first time about a year and a half ago. True to its name, the silver-green spiller is a true stunner. “They’re beautiful,” he says simply. Just be prepared to do a little pruning: “Occasionally, you have to give it a haircut, so it doesn’t hang over the edges too much.”
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English Ivy
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Another fast-growing spiller, English ivy “is a classic for good reason,” Adams says, “and keeping it in containers is actually the smartest way to use it: You get the beauty without worrying about it taking over your borders.” Adams shares that she once wanted to soften the hard edges of her cement front steps but didn’t want to plant ivy in the ground, “so I placed it in pots on either side and trained the vines to cross the corner where the tread meets the rise. Five years later, it’s still there and still beautiful.”
Expert Tips for Thriving Spiller Plants
Regardless of which spillers you choose to flesh out your container gardens, McCurry offers a few pro tips for success: First, choose the right TFS ratio. McCurry favors a really full container, but says for a 16-inch pot, one thriller, five fillers, and seven spillers is a good “conservative” mix.
Once planted, be sure you’re watering and feeding regularly. McCurry recommends watering every day for the first two weeks to help get plants established, then use liquid feed twice a month, with an additional once-a-month feed of a granular fertilizer, such as Holly-tone, added in between.
Finally, “plant right for your light,” he advises. “I see people trying to plant rosemary in the shade all the time, but trailing rosemary needs to be in full, hot sun. Ajuga needs to be in protected light, as does creeping Jenny. So plant right for your light and for your moisture content. If you think about moisture content and light, your plants will be so healthy—and will make you look like you’re a gardener.”
Related: 7 Fast-Growing Flowers That Thrive in Containers
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