Landscaping Around Large Egress Windows

Shrubs

• Choose a combination of evergreen and deciduous shrubs for year-round color and texture. Slow-growing, compact varieties require less pruning. Drought-tolerant evergreens include the dwarf wintergreen barberry (Berberis julianae “Nana”), a slow-growing shrub with a dense, rounded form. This glossy shrub grows to 3 or 4 feet tall and has toothed foliage that turns deep red in fall. The English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens “Suffruticosa”) also grows slowly to heights of 3 feet. This thick, mounding shrub has shiny foliage and tolerates shade. Deciduous choices include the slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis). This hardy, drought-tolerant shrub blooms with fragrant white flowers and grows from 2 to 4 feet tall.

Ground Covers

• Ground covers are an optimal choice for egress window landscaping, as they grow out, not up. Ground covers spread to cover bare soil, preventing erosion and runoff. For shady sites, English ivy (Hedera helix) spreads quickly, forming a carpet of lustrous evergreen foliage. It comes in a range of cultivars, from the yellow-leaved Goldcraft to the five-lobed Star, and tolerates drought. Another evergreen, creeping liriope (Liriope spicata), spreads quickly. It has dark, grasslike foliage and blooms with purple-white flowers, followed by dark-blue berries.

Perennials

• Perennials die back in the winter and regrow in the spring. Most last for at least three years, but some live much longer. Drought-tolerant varieties that won’t impede egress window access include beebalm (Monarda didyma). This summer-bloomer grows to 4 feet tall and produces spiky flowers that range from purple to light-pink. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) blooms from late spring through summer with yellow, orange and red clusters. It grows to 3 feet tall and prefers dry soil. For late season color, plant Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii). These 18-inch-tall beauties bloom with large, showy pink, red and yellow flowers through the first heavy frost.

Annuals

• Annuals only live for a single season, but they bloom for longer periods than perennials. Not many annuals tolerate drought; exceptions include the blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella), a 2-foot-tall annual that produces large, multicolored red, orange and yellow blossoms from summer through fall. Cockscombs (Celosia argenta var. crista) bloom during the same time period. These 3-foot-tall annuals produce fuzzy, unusual-looking flowers in varying shades of yellow and red. For season-long color, plant zinnias (Zinnia elegans). These hardy annuals grow from 6 to 40 inches tall and bloom in a range of colors, from white to red, and produce single and double blossoms.