When you think about foundation plantings, do images of ubiquitous evergreen globes and rectangles lined up in the front of a house come to mind? It’s time for a fresh take on foundations!
Why Are Foundation Plantings A Great Option?
Foundation-scaping serves multiple purposes:
- It helps to anchor the structure of the home to its site, so it doesn’t look like a house just sitting atop the ground, but rather an integrated blend of home and property.
- Foundation plantings can enhance the look and curb appeal of a home. Realtor industry estimates suggest that a well-landscaped front yard can increase the value of your home by around 11%.
- Plants are both a practical and attractive way to camouflage the utilitarian look of concrete foundations visible on many homes.
The Secret to Attractive Foundation Plantings? A Little Planning
While it seems obvious that planning is essential when it comes to any kind of design, foundation planting takes on a variety of considerations, from aesthetics to practical considerations like growth/bloom habits of plants, as well as time and resources available for maintenance. Randomly adding a couple of evergreens to “fill in space” won’t net the best results. Here are some guidelines to help:
Formulas for Success When it Comes to Foundation Plantings
- Give your foundation plants some breathing room from your home’s exterior wall – at least one foot. This gives you room for maintenance and allows for air circulation around your plants and home’s facade to help avoid exterior damage from mold and mildew. Keeping your foundation planting a bit of a distance from the house also looks better.
- A narrow foundation bed looks dated. Aim for a depth around 6’- 8’ deep. This keeps plants from looking too crowded and gives a fresher look to your home. Consider adding curves to your foundation bed for a more fluid, natural look.
- You want your foundation to look good year-round, so plan on making about 50% of your plants evergreens, 25% perennials and 25% deciduous or flowering shrubs. (Note: you may also want to leave some space for annuals for additional color and texture).
Design Tips for Your Foundation Plantings
Foundation Plantings Plant Selection
- Select the right plants for your site, (sun, shade, soil type, planting zone, etc.).
- Opt for native plants whenever you can to maximize success and minimize maintenance.
- Choose plants that have multi-seasonal interest – attractive buds or flowers in the spring, lush foliage and blooms in the summer, interesting seed pods and brilliant fall color in autumn, and architectural structure and interesting bark or berries in winter.
- Be sure to include evergreens like Arborvitae, Yew, Holly, Boxwood, or Distylium, and explore their dwarf varieties along with those of Spruce, Juniper, and Cyprus. Euonymus and Rhododendron are popular broadleaf evergreens to also consider.
- Include perennial grasses are a fresh, updated look for foundations.
Incorporate Your Home’s Style and Surroundings
- Take the style of your home (Colonial, Cape, Ranch, Split, Mid-Century, Victorian, Arts & Craft, etc.) into consideration when planning your garden, as well as its color and site location.
- Choose less structured plants for casual home styles like Cape Cods, and more structured options for Colonial or other formal style homes.
- If the façade of your home is visually busy, such as those made from brick or stone, focus on using evergreens with different shapes and textures to enhance, rather than compete with, your home’s appearance.
- If the front of your home has strong lines or defined windows, like those seen on mid-century modern homes, keep foundation plants clean and low to play up the style’s minimalist aesthetics.
- Create a sense of movement and flow by using curves, diagonal lines, and irregular shapes for visual interest and fresh appeal.
- Take the color of your home’s exterior, its roof, and any hardscaping into mind when selecting your foundation plants. Choose plants whose colors coordinate or contrast with these hues.
- To add a sense of depth, keep larger and/or darker-color plants towards the back, with smaller/lighter-toned ones towards the front.
- Take plant texture into consideration for visual interest, especially when selecting greens that will be seen year-round. Balance fine-leafed plants with those that have thicker, broader foliage.
- Create a focal point for your front, using plants (e.g., tall narrow greens like juniper framing your front door), garden features like fountains or pottery or a combination of striking planters and plants.
- Large groups or swaths of the same plants are an easy way to create a visual focal point, as is a single dramatic plant, shrub or small tree.
- Take visual weight into account when creating your foundation-scape. Scale, proportion, density and color impact whether your foundation looks purposeful or haphazard.
- Resist overplanting to fill in the space requirement needs for young perennials and shrubs. Use annuals or decorative pots that can be easily removed as plants grow to fill in temporary bare spaces.
- Get planting ideas from your surrounding landscape. For instance, including rhododendrons if your lot is near woodlands or perennial grasses for a home by the shore provides an integrated, cohesive feel for your home to its landscape.
- Instead of mirrored symmetry, try an asymmetrical design approach to your foundation-scaping for a more modern feel. And don’t forget, we’re here to help you with everything from design ideas to plant selection and placement.
