As part of my Mother’s Day gift each year I plant the summer annuals.  While my Mom enjoys the annual flowers, she does not particularly care for coordinating or planting the annuals.  So each year I plant three window-boxes, a couple hanging baskets, and a couple deck planters for her.

I have learned that the key to planting a well rounded annual container is to coordinate colors, develop some contrast in textures, and pick at least three plants for each arrangement: a Thriller, a Filler, and a Spiller.  The Thriller is the centerpiece of the arrangement.  It should be tall, and guide the viewers eye vertically up the arrangement.  The Filler is the middle ground of the arrangement, and should fill in the space around the pot with the Thriller peeking out above it and the Spiller spilling out underneath it.  The Spiller is picked for its ability to lay low, and spill down the sides of your pot.

For the window-boxes in front of the house this year, I decided to go with a yellow, white, and purple color pallet.  As my Thriller I picked light yellow snapdragons or antirrhinum, for my Filler I chose a purple and white daisy, and for my Spiller I planted lemon slice superbells or calibrachoa hybrid.

The hanging baskets and planters on the back deck are pink and yellow themed this year – with the light yellow snapdragons as the Thrillers, a pink stock or matthiola incana for the Filler, and yellow or cherry star superbells for the Spiller.