Flowers for Outdoor Planters: Creating the Perfect Mix

My girls and I are hanging out in our old hometown of Cincinnati this week and we've got the best accommodations in town (a.k.a. mom and dad's house). They have the most beautiful outdoor living space and garden, including several large planters that my mom fills with different combinations of flowers every year. I love the mix of flowers that she used this year: 
Unfortunately, my mom didn't pass down that green thumb of hers to me, but being a gardener wanna-be, I try to pick up on as many of her tips and tricks as I can. When choosing flowers for outdoor planters, she subscribes to the "thriller, spiller, and filler" philosophy. It's so simple that even I could pull it off. She picks a "thriller", which is a bold plant with height, to place at the back of the container:

Coleus "thriller"

Then adds a "spiller" (trailing plant that hangs over the edge of the planter) to the front:

Variegated Vinca "spiller"

And fills the space in between with (you guessed it) a "filler":

Flowering Vinca "Filler"

The two large outdoor planters sit on both sides of this gorgeous stone water feature:


And this beautiful covered patio overlooks it all:

Complete with an outdoor kitchen that's a barbecuer's dream:
So if you've noticed that I haven't been blogging as much as usual this week, now that you've got this visual, you can't blame me, right?! There's not much motivation to go inside and get on the computer with this gorgeous outdoor space calling my name! Even my third girl (the furry one) never wants to come inside from her grandma's garden:
 I hope you all are enjoying a great week too, getting half as spoiled as we are :)