Foundation Landscape Plants

Evergreens

• There are compelling reasons to include an array of evergreens in foundation plantings. Though they are not colorful, their soft shapes and four-season foliage make them the ideal choice for areas that need to be disguised with boughs of greenery. Widely-adapted, green-needled conifers will naturally grow into towering trees, but their dwarf forms make excellent landscaping shrubs. Conifers, such as the dwarf white pine and the dwarf Colorado spruce, display dense, bushy growth habits and gently rounded forms that work well in most design schemes. Evergreens do not have to hug the house; the landscape will be more inviting if the plants extend into the areas customarily reserved for the lawn.

Broad-Leaf Evergreens

• Time-honored landscape designs rely heavily on an assortment of broad-leaf evergreens, such as boxwood, yew, rhododendron and holly, placed in straight, uniform lines around the foundation of the house. As the name suggests, these shrubs bear flat, broad leaves that remain green throughout the year. They are practical, low-maintenance plants that are well-suited to a variety of growing conditions. In addition to adding year-round greenery to the landscape, broad-leaved evergreens possess a number of eye-catching attributes; some bear variegated foliage that lightens shadowy spaces, while others add cheerful splashes of color to the winter garden with early-blooming blossoms or clusters of bright berries.

Deciduous Shrubs

• Informal landscapes rely less on clipped, formal evergreens, and tend to feature the ever-changing foliage of deciduous shrubs. Plants such as the purple beautyberry, the French hydrangea, the Virginia sweet spire and the daphne, bloom in the spring or summer, filling the yard with beautiful blossoms and sweet perfume. In the fall, they display brightly changing foliage, adding splashes of color to the landscape long after many plants have faded. Place deciduous shrubs in front of taller evergreens, so the year-round greenery backdrops the ongoing transformation of the seasonal flowers and foliage.

Perennials

• Gardeners who favor unconventional designs can use the areas traditionally relegated to foundation plantings to cultivate a mixture of flora. For example, rather than installing a single species of broad-leaf evergreen, place an assortment of deciduous and evergreen shrubs around the base of the house. To create textural interest and add color to the arrangement, intersperse the shrubbery with masses of blooming perennials. Robust, low-maintenance plants, such as peonies, Russian sage, salvia or hardy geraniums, make outstanding additions to informal foundation arrangements. Also, shrubs can be under planted with ground-hugging perennials such as sweet woodruff, bugleweed or common periwinkle, to create a show-stopping blend of flowers and foliage.