I generally don’t do a whole lot of container gardening. I suppose if you came to my home, you would disagree, as I have a lot of plants in pots. There are a dozen twigs in pots that someday will be trees — an olive tree, a lime tree and a pair of sego palms that comes inside in winter — a lavender plant that doesn’t have a permanent home yet and a few houseplants that get to live outdoors while weather permits.

While I have a few plants in pots for various reasons, they are a mere distant cousin from a planter that has been created to become a focal point. You can find these stunningly gorgeous pre-planted containers in just about any garden center, and, although convenient, they often come with a pretty steep price tag. If you’re thinking you can’t create something like that by yourself, think again. A simple formula will have you filling containers and showing off all that hidden talent even you didn’t know you had.

The recipe for the perfectly planted container is simple. You’ll need a thriller, a filler and a spiller.

Thrillers are the star of the show. Tall and striking, they become the centerpiece by adding a vertical component with impact. Plants with colorful foliage, large showy flowers or unique texture are what you want. Some thrillers can make tall containers top-heavy, especially when used as a cache pot with the planted container placed inside, leaving the bottom empty. A brick or two in the bottom of the container will help to stabilize it.

Canna comes in an abundance of varieties and are prized for their large leaves and showy flowers. Foliage colors range from deep purples and reds to lime greens and yellow, so one is sure to fit the look you are going for.

Elephant ears make a bold statement with large foliage on tall stems. The black variety, which is deep dark purple is especially eye-catching. Cordyline fruticosa, also called palm lily or ti plant, also produces large ornamental leaves in shades of green, pink, purple, black and red that demand attention.

Snake plant, commonly known as mother-in-law’s tongue, is generally used as a houseplant but its long spear-shaped leaves make a dramatic statement. Grasses such as Mexican feathergrass and purple fountain grass also provide a container with the wow factor. In smaller containers, snapdragons or coneflowers make wonderful centerpieces.

Fillers are medium-height plants that generally have a mounding habit which complements the thriller without stealing any of its thunder. Just because they are fillers doesn’t mean that they don’t thrill as well; sometimes, they even spill. Fillers give the container fullness.

Coleus is an example of a foliage filler that is a thriller. In shades of purple, rich reds, golden bronzes or magenta surrounded by lime green, they anchor the thriller and allow her to shine. Persian shield is another plant prized for its colorful foliage that makes a wonderful filler, or think outside of the box and tuck some ornamental cabbage under the thriller.

Mounds of flowers give a posh feel to containers. Brightly colored dahlia, calibrachoa, petunias, salvia, purslane, geraniums, Gerber daisies, zinnia or any other blooming lovely that you fancy can be used here. You can also incorporate some spiky, flowering plants as long as they don’t compete with the thriller.

Spillers are the underrated component of the container, yet they are the component that really brings the whole look together. Cascading over the sides like waterfalls they convey whimsy and ease the drama happening overhead.

Sweet potato vine are full spillers in shades of bronze or green. “Silver Falls” dichondra lighten it up in shades of white, gray-green, yellow or green. Sedum, trailing petunia, sweet alyssum, blue star creeper, lobelia or nasturtium gushing over the sides compliment the fillers and have real star-power.

If planting to be viewed from all sides, plant the thriller in the center of the container. Surround the thriller with the fillers, then add three to five spillers, depending on the size of the container and the growing habit of the plant, around the outside rim of the container. If it will be used against a wall or in a corner, plant the thriller to the back, fillers half the distance to the rim, then spillers at the rim.

When planted with color, texture, height and flow, you’ll be fashioning spectacular designer quality containers in no time. Until next week, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. Visit http://mg.aces.edu/limestone for more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners.