Combinations of Perennials for Containers

Even small trees will grow in pots if the container is large enough.

When designing a container combination, it is best to choose at least three types of plants: a thriller, a filler and a spiller. A thriller is a tall plant that goes in the center of the container. A filler is a spreading plant that fills in the empty spots. A spiller is a plant that trails over the edge of the pot. Perennial plants come back to the garden from their own root system year after year.

Dense Shade Combination

Lilies grown in shade need staking because they lean towards the light.

Dense shade is ideal for growing woodland plants native to your area. Choose a tall thriller plant for the center of the container such as the Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), Canada lily (Lilium canadensis), daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) or red surprise lily (Lycoris radiata), or use a tall-growing fern. Surround the thriller with a filler plant such as hosta or lungwort. An ideal spiller plant would be the wood aster (Aster divaricatus) or the periwinkle (Vinca minor). Be sure to choose plants with different colored foliage or different textured leaves, to create additional interest.

Light Shade Combination

Create interest by mixing up the foliage shapes and colors of hostas in containers.

When a tree or other object filters the sunlight, the result is light shade. Astilbe, bleeding heart and monkshood are ideal thriller plants for areas in light shade. Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) is an ideal spiller. Choose hosta, lungwort or primrose for the filler plant. When combining flowering perennials, choose plants with flower colors that either complement or contrast one another. Consider when the plants will bloom as well. Add flowers bulbs to your container arrangements to get a longer season of bloom.

Intermittent Shade Combination

Keep foxglove away from children and pets by growing it in a container.

Intermittent shade occurs when full sun is received during a specific part of the day. Foxgloves (Digitalis sp.), daylilies (Hemerocallis) and Japanese anemones are ideal thriller plants for intermittent shade. Columbines (Aquilegia), Ajuga and toad lilies (Tricyrtis) are good filler plants. Try creeping Jenny (Lysimachia aurea) for a spiller plant. Coneflowers (Echinacea), daisies and mums grow in this type of shade, although they will not flower as prolifically. Consider adding some of these to your container combinations that are in intermittent shade.

Full Sun Combination

Blanket flower adds season-long color to containers.

There are numerous combination of perennials that will thrive in full sun. Consider the container size when choosing what to grow. The larger the plant is, the bigger the container will need to be. Miniature hollyhocks (Alcea), phlox, coneflowers (Echinacea), tulips and ornamental grasses are all great thriller plants. Perennial geranium, blanket flower (Gaillardia) and creeping sedum are great as filler plants. Use Liriope or perennial verbena for a spiller. Keep an eye on the soil of containers grown in full sun because they will dry out quickly. Use a potting mix designed for containers or mix water-holding crystals into your favorite potting mix to help the soil hold water.

References

• University of Illinois Extension; Care Of Potted Perennials; Greg Stack; March 1, 2011
• University of Massachusetts Extension; Overwintering Containerized Perennials; Tina Smith; October 2004
• University of Vermont Extension; Perennial Species For Containers; Leonard P. Perry; September 20, 2001