The Big Jungle Pot: Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers

In Containers, Ideas on 3 November 2011 tagged Aglaonema, Alocasia, Croton, Dracaena, Office Plants, Planters, Pothos, Scindapsus

I’m helping a friend populate her new office with plants. I started with the old standbys Sansevieria and Spathiphyllum. For the third, much larger pot, I decided to go big, with a selection of jungle plants.

Someone once told me that any mixed pot needs thrillers, fillers, and spillers. Thrillers are where your eye goes first, fillers fill the bulk of the pot, and spillers cascade down. In this pot, we’ve got:

• On top, a big Alocasia portora, the large elephant ear that will eventually get huge. I love its wavy-edged leaves. The stems are also a really beautiful mottled red and green. Definitely a thriller.
• A couple Dracaena marginata ‘Colorama’. I see these as part filler, part thriller. Their spiky red-edged leaves are a nice contrast to all the soft greens.
• A Croton that I rescued from elsewhere in the office and included to add a little color. A filler, but a nice one.
• The bulk of this filler duties are done by Aglaonema (aka “Chinese Evergreen”), one of the hardiest, most indestructible office plants ever. I chose a variety that was heavy on the light green through the center of the leaves for variety.
• Then, finally, the spiller: Scindapsus pictus (aka “Satin Pothos”), by far my favorite of the “Pothos” varieties, with matte green leaves with white spots that practically sparkle in the light.

All of those went into a large Lechuza self-watering pot. It looks a little crowded now, but it will grow in nicely, with the spillers growing down, the fillers spreading out, and that Alocasia on top throwing bigger and bigger leaves. The pot is placed in perfect light: bright, indirect, and all day, thanks to the frosted windows.

This pot was a joy to make and I hope it brings good luck to my friend’s new business.

Thanks to Heather for the in situ photo.

See Also

• The Great Living Room Repot
  Last Sunday was a rainy day, so it was a perfect time to do some overdue indoor plant repotting.
• Ideal Office Plants 2: Spathiphyllum ‘Domino’
  A beautiful plant that can take low-light environments with minimal maintenance. Just don't eat it.
• Beautiful, Modern Planter Idea from Thailand
  I really enjoyed the modern porcelain enclosure and unusual watering system.