Design Basics
Thriller Plants
Filler Plants
Spiller Plants
Popular Annual Varieties
Annuals are very popular plants to grow, especially in containers. Typically the plants will not survive over the winter, and new annuals will need to be planted each year. But the benefit of annual plants is that they are often high performing flowering plants with minimal care. That's what makes them so great for growing in containers and large flower beds.
Growing Annual Plants
Because the growing zone isn't a factor when choosing which annuals to buy, the main things to consider are what the plants look like, how much sun the location gets and how large the plants get. Annuals usually come in smaller sizes, but grow very fast once planted to fill out the planters, hanging baskets or garden beds. Some annuals are grown for foliage to fill containers, and others are grown for their beautiful blooms that often last from spring until the first frost.
Annual combination planters are typically grown with a thriller, filler and a spiller. The thriller is an upright plant that grows tall. A filler plant is something that grows in a mounded form usually. And a spiller will flow down the side of the container.