Thrill ’em with a flora display

So you’ve got guests coming for the holidays, the kind you want to impress, and you’re already spending a fortune on the meal, place settings and new towels for the bathroom. ¶ You’d love to have a festive display of potted plants at the front door or on the patio, but you nearly had a heart attack when you priced them at the nursery. ¶ Are mums or poinsettias your only option ... again?

You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to put together an impressive display this weekend that will wow even your mom without breaking the bank.

The answer is in three little words: thriller, filler, spiller, says Marian Stevens, a certified nursery professional from the Armstrong Garden Center in Torrance. Stevens has been giving classes in creating these pots, and her recipe is simple. All you’ll need is a:

Thriller: one striking plant — usually large and tall — to go right in the middle of the pot.

Filler: three smaller, compact but complementary plants to fill in around the bottom.

Spiller: three trailing plants to spill over the sides, adding balance and interest.

For bonus points, Stevens also adds a little surprise to her pots — a few bulbs like paperwhites that don’t need chilling to bloom. When the other flowers are spent, she says, the bulbs will be ready to bloom and add new interest to your display. The biggest challenge in creating these potted masterpieces will be choosing the plants you want to use, says Stevens.

Allen J. Schaben Photographs by Los Angeles Times SPILLER: Trailing plants spilling over the sides of the pot are added for balance and interest.

MARIAN STEVENS of the Armstrong Garden Center in Torrance shows how to put together a display of potted plants.

THRILLER: A striking plant, usually tall and large, is placed in the center of the potted masterpiece.

FILLER: Smaller, compact plants placed around the thriller will help fill out the potted tableau.