I have always admired a good looking flower arrangement. A good looking flower arrangement can add so much to a space, indoor or outdoor.  I mostly admired them because the arrangements I tried to do on my own were just… not good looking. They were just kind of sitting there. I think it was partly my flower choice and partly how I placed them. I knew what I liked, but I had no direction. I just settled on the fact that flowers aren’t my thing, until I discovered a trick gardeners use. I thought this was perfect to apply to fake or real flower arrangements and it changed my whole approach.

It’s called the Thriller, Filler, and Spiller. Sounds a little weird, but go with me on this one.

What is the Thriller, Filler, and Spiller?

The THRILLER is usually something that makes the plant stand out and/or give the arrangement height. You can use an upright plant or something that “thrills” you, the main attraction.

The FILLER is a plant that adds fullness. You want something that covers a lot of real estate so to speak.

The SPILLER is something that spills over your container. This give it dimension and I find that it covers some of the blank areas underneath the flowers. I think this one is so important for making your arrangement look finalized. Without it, you see stems, dirt or Styrofoam. The spiller is typically a greenery item.

EXAMPLES

 THRILLER                         FILLERS                   SPILLERS

   

HOW TO DIY THIS:

Supplies you’ll need:

– Container/Pot of your choice

– Styrofoam: You can buy the Styrofoam at The Dollar Store for .99. You can cut the foam to fit into whatever container you use.

– Flowers/Plants: Think about Thriller, Filler, and Spiller when choosing your flowers/plants.

WHAT I USED:

   

I put it together using the Thriller, Filler, and Spiller method. I started with the large white flowers (filler), then the ranunculus (thriller), then added in my greens (filler). This is all by site and what you prefer. There is no specific percentage or count to how much of each you would like to use. Just have fun.

It’s pretty easy. This arrangement took me about 20 minutes to put together.

You can do this with some outdoor plants as well. Here are some examples:

 

Photo Credits: greenclub.homedepot.com; gsblog.wordpress.com; advancegreenhouses.com