Tom Kasper offers this idea for making our plant containers look their best. In terms of contents, start with the simple rule, "Thrill, fill, and spill."
- Thrill - A plant that is the centerpiece or goes in the back of the container, perhapw a tall flower, or ornamental grass.
- Fill - What surrounds the "thriller," perhaps geraniums, petunias, snapdragons, or osteospermum.
- Spill - the perimeter plants that can spill over the side of the container, often a vine.
Watering is important, Tom reminds us, but so is regular feeding; as a contained ecosystem, these plants need our help to receive nutrients. Deadheading old flowers can further make room for and direct growing energy toward new blooms.