What type of plants are best around a foundation of a house?
Thеу wουld need tο bе hardy tο zone 6 (lower NY State). I аm trying tο achieve a backdrop οf plants thаt dο nοt shed thеіr leaves іn thе winter ѕο thеу саn block thе foundation, whісh happens tο ѕhοw 3 feet οf itself. In front οf thеѕе plants, I hаνе ѕοmе perenialls іn mind. FYI, thе planting beds аrе 8-10′ deep аnd іn раrt tο full shade. I саn’t thіnk οf аnу οthеr information, except thаt mу house іѕ red аnd I lονе іntеrеѕtіng leaves аnd azaleas. Thank уου ѕο much fοr helping.
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Tags: 3 Feet, around, Azaleas, Backdrop, Beds, Best, foundation, House, Leaves, Perenialls, Plants, Type
4 Responses to “What type of plants are best around a foundation of a house?”
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In back of my fountain (full shade), I tried to use large leafed plants to give a jungle leaf back ground. I have hostas & rhubarb with some long-thin leafed day lilies. None of these stay tall during the winter (Zone 4). My neighbor has several perennial ferns in shade of their house. In front of them were flowering plants. May not be the help you wanted but may give you ideas.
Rotodendron is good, how deep are the eaves on the roof, some ranch houses have eaves that keep rain away from the foundation. Good for the house, but I’ve seen places where only prickly pear will grow.
Basically you’re looking for “facer plants” that conceal the lower extremities of landscape elements, & visually anchor taller elements to the ground.
I found some nice examples & info here:
http://www.northscaping.com/InfoZone/IS-0013/IS-0013.shtml
You can use dwarf conifers like dwarf mugo pine, nest spruce or globe cedars, spreading junipers, compact spireas, dwarf boxwood or globe caragana, false spirea, potentilla, Japanese barberry.
There are golden & variegated conifers: Pinus densiflora Oculus draconis makes a spectacular sight with its horizontal banding of yellow and green.
Arborvitae: Thuja occidentalis Sherwood Frost is a beautiful slow growing cultivar with a dusting of white that becomes more prevalent in late summer and fall. Thuja plicata Zebrina has stunning variegation of gold and green, but unfortunately does not color well in heat.
Mahonia (Oregon hollygrape) has Holly-like leaves, brilliant yellow flower trusses, blue-black fruit, and bronzy winter color place Mahonia in the limelight each season. Be careful, this native evergreen spreads (in moist soil) to form broad colonies.
This Better Homes & Garden site gives pictures & descriptions of more flowering shrubs:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/1081.xml
Dwarf Red Hardy Azalea is the hardiest of evergreen Azaleas. It brings life to shady spots year-round, with vivid, rose-crimson flowers for weeks in early spring and bright red foliage all winter. It grows 2-3′ high with similar spread:
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_10264
Ground covers: Euonymus Emerald ‘n Gold (green and yellow variegation), and Emerald Gaiety (white and gold variegation) These semi upright spreaders make large mats of evergreen color.
Plant the facer plants first, followed by those that lose their leaves in front of them, then the perennials such as: coralbell, hostas, lady’s mantle, artemisia, blanketflower, daylilies, sedum, ornamental grasses & ferns
Good luck! Hope this is helpful.
Just remeber not to plant the shrubs close to the house. You need a clear area around the foundation so that you can do house repair, painting, cleaning windows etc. Plant based on the full grown size of the plant. Look at the neighbors to see what works. Do not put arborvite or other tall evergreens in front of a window. Azalea are perfect. If you learn to soft cut after blooming they will always look great. I like white azalea with a red house. Be careful with mugo pine. Some are not really dwarf and they like sun.