Thrill, fill, spill – this mantra is a simple yet effective recipe for a stunning mixed container. The spill element includes cascading plants that dangle over the edge of the container. We tend to think of spillers as plants that hang down in pots, planters and hanging baskets, However, while they make incredible additions to a thriller filler spiller container formula, these versatile plants make vivid and abundant declarations elsewhere.
Spiller plants also look great on the edges of rock walls, bursting freely from the sides of raised beds, and pouring out of the gaps in rockeries. They can even work at ground level to soften a garden border. It’s not difficult to find a variety of trailing plants in seed catalogs, specialist online suppliers or local garden centers. Often annuals, they are reliable summer stalwarts and tend to be easy to care for. Here are some of the most dazzling and dynamic cascading trailing plants for color, texture, volume, intensity and longevity.
Making the Most of Trailing Plants
The best trailing plants for pots as well as rockeries and the edges of beds will yield an abundance of flowers or foliage. Plants that cascade have their own natural movement which helps to create a naturalistic but exuberant focal point in the garden. The classic use for these cascading plants is in a container. This means adding a spill plant to one that grows tall and one that fills spaces. This classic recipe makes it easy to create creative containers, planters, and window boxes.
You can also use these trailing plants in hanging baskets. For an outside patio or balcony, these garden masterpieces can also add privacy screening, and it is also a gorgeous way to provide some extra shade. You can also use cascading plants to soften hard edges in beds, to burst forth along walkways, to spill over walls, or to tumble across rockeries. Just be sure they are out of the way of stepping feet!
Choose varieties that match your growing conditions, that will pair well with other plants – and that you love the best! Choose spillers that speak to you. Here are 8 inspirational ideas for the best spiller plants for pots, rockeries, patios and walls.
1. Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum produces delicate pink or white flowers in profusion. Although these spiller plants aren’t capable of elongated trailing displays, their pretty ‘clouds’ of flowers create great shape and bulge at the edges of rockeries, borders, pathways, and planters.
When growing sweet alyssum (Alyssum maritimum), you’ll find these plants are generally happiest in cooler weather. However, they will tolerate heat if you keep them topped up with plenty of water. Grow a mass of white fragrant blooms with Sweet Alyssum ‘Carpet of Snow’ from Burpee, perfect for windowboxes, hanging baskets, and anywhere you want butterflies to congregate! Shear back by around a third after the first flush of flowers to encourage more of these honey scented blooms.
2. Sweet Potato Vine
Perhaps an unexpected addition to a roundup of ornamental cascading plants, the sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) is a lot more than just a foil for the tasty tubers, This striking member of the morning glory family is also a stunning cascading plant which presents with some exciting variations in leaf shape and color.
Pretty ornamental sweet potato vine trailing plants include ‘Marguerite’ for lime green heart shapes, or ‘Tricolor’ for spikier foliage. There’s also ‘Sweet Caroline Purple’ for deep purple tones. Or why not try Ipomea ‘Blackie’ from American Plant Exchange as a live plant from Walmart? These trailing plants offer dramatic leaves that contrast well with bright thrillers and fillers in containers and hanging baskets.
3. Nasturtium
Hardy in USDA zones 9-11, the exuberance of a nasturtium plant cannot be overstated. Tumbling over raised beds or dangling merrily from balcony rails, nasturtiums add vitality and harmony to all manner of mixed arrangements, both edible and ornamental. Some of the most renowned companion plants for raised beds, they rub along nicely with a broad array of crops including tomatoes, melons, and zucchini.
They are some of the most enduring flowering annual plants for ornamental summer displays as well – capable of spilling over tubs and raised edges well into the fall. As well as supplying any garden corner with delightful blooms, their foliage is capable of great variety and charm. Try fragrant Nasturtium ‘Double Gleam Mixed’ and superbloomer ‘Troika Red’, both available from Burpee.
4. Wave Petunia
If you love the trumpet-shaped flowers of standard petunias, try this wave variety (Petunia x hybrida) for a hanging basket or mixed container. While standard petunias didn’t seem to have much staying power after a heavy downpour, these floral dynamos keep going in all weathers, although they especially love full sun.
Wave petunias make lovely cascading plants for hanging baskets, window boxes and balcony rails, as well as well appointed walls and patio planters. They even hold their own in a heavyweight urn or stone-based container. Try the Easy Wave series for a low-maintenance petunia that spreads up to 3ft (90cm) across. You can buy seeds for Petunia ‘Easy Wave Yellow’ by Park Seed, available from the Gardening Know How Shop, for a lush tumble of fragrant yellow blooms.
5. Creeping Jenny
Word to the wise: this gorgeous tumbler has a reputation as being invasive, so you might not want to let it off the leash in your beds and borders. Still, if you want something to fill in a space quickly, creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummuleria) makes a super-stunning trailing plant for containers, thanks to its delightful chartreuse color, coin-shaped foliage and dangling form.
All these cascading plants need is moist soil and full sun or partial shade in USDA zones 4-9. Creeping Jenny (also known as moneywort) trails beautifully in hanging baskets and also produces cup shaped, bright yellow flowers from June to August. You can buy Creeping Jenny ‘Goldilocks’ from Hirt’s Gardens as a live plant from Amazon for shiny golden foliage that trails up to 24 inches (60cm) in length.
6. Trailing Verbena
The Latin name for trailing verbena (Verbena pendula) really sets the tone for the growth habit of this delicately fluffy ornamental! For reliable, summer-long color, trailing verbena spills beautifully over the edges of full sun containers, rockeries and walls. Growing outwards as well as down, plants appear to drape themselves lovingly over inclines and crevices. They bloom from May into fall, depending on how much sun you can give – and they respond particularly well to deadheading.
Trailing verbena comes in many colors, from pure white to peach to deep purple. One great trailing verbena range to try is the Superbena series, which is resistant to powdery mildew and known for gorgeous color combinations. For something a little unusual, try Trailing Verbena ‘Obsession Cascade Twister Violet’ from Harris Seeds, available from Walmart, for a well structured trailing effect.
7. Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’
Choose this trailing plant for its unique foliage in a silvery green color. It works well in spots with partial shade, especially in hotter climates. Its distinctive heart shaped or kidney shaped leaves, gorgeous dusty pewter foliage and silver stems look dazzling against both terracotta and galvanized containers as well as dark gray walls. As a bonus, these cascading plants have very few pest or disease issues to worry about.
Drought tolerant dichondra is capable of a spread of up to 36 inches (90cm). This easycare plant also makes a good ground cover option, thanks to its gleaming foliage. You can currently buy live plants for Proven Winners Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ from Walmart in packs of four. This trailer accents well with purple and pink thrillers, but also with bright yellows and oranges for an unusual color combo.
8. Trailing Lobelia
For a showy cascading ornamental, the breaktaking trailing lobelia (Lobelia erinus) makes a big impression with its exquisite sweeps of vivid blue and purple, though you can also find gorgeous variations in pink and white. These spiller plants have a delightful mounding habit which helps to create a satisfying volume as they pour over the edges of pots and beds.
Keep your lobelia plants well watered as the garden heats up, as they can stall a little bit on really hot summer days. Alternatively, try to position these plants where they can enjoy a little afternoon shade to ensure flowers last well into summer (and longer, depending on variety). Try ‘Blue Sapphire’ or ‘Crimson Fountain’ from Seedville USA, or ‘Regatta Series Rose’ by Mountain Valley Seed Company, both available from Walmart, for delicate floral trailing displays that bloom until fall.
This article features products available from third party vendors on the Gardening Know How Shop. Keep in mind that our plant inventory is limited - so if you’re thinking of purchasing, don’t wait!
