5 Rules for Fabulous Foundation Planting
Even if you don't have a full-fledged garden, chances are you've got some plantings around your home's foundation. Surprisingly, many homeowners miss opportunities or even create problems with these essential plantings—limiting curb appeal, ignoring seasonal interest, or making extra work for themselves. Here’s how to turn your foundation planting into a practical, beautiful asset:
1. Right Plant, Right Size
Size matters—a lot. Choose plants that comfortably fit their space without constant pruning. Skip shrubs that grow into shapeless blobs or get pruned into meatballs by selecting varieties bred specifically for smaller or narrower spaces. Beautifully bred, upright, or compact plants will keep your beds looking tidy without becoming a maintenance headache.
2. Plan for Winter Interest
Don't let your planting beds vanish when winter arrives. Evergreen shrubs, textured grasses, or colorful stems ensure your landscape offers beauty year-round. Imagine the delight of soft junipers, vivid dogwood branches, or elegant boxwoods dusted with snow during the coldest months.
3. Coordinate Colors with Your Home
Enhance, don’t clash! If your house is green, steer clear of overwhelmingly green foliage—opt instead for contrasting or complementary hues. Have a red or brick home? Skip the crimson Japanese maple and consider golden or deep green leaves to highlight rather than blend with your backdrop. Playing with color harmony boosts curb appeal dramatically.
4. Use Height Strategically
Plant taller elements at your home's corners, beside entrances, or between windows to frame architectural features. A tall evergreen or slender ornamental tree can elegantly anchor your home, lending visual balance and sophistication. Aim to have some plantings equal to or slightly taller than the height of your home's eaves.
5. Repeat and Group for Impact
For an appealing, unified look, select two or three species from each plant category and repeat them across your foundation beds. Symmetrical houses benefit from mirrored plantings, while asymmetrical homes look best with thoughtfully balanced groupings.
Great Plants to Consider
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Evergreens: Juniper ('Wichita Blue', 'Skyrocket'), Hinoki Cypress, Boxwood (new disease-resistant types), Japanese Holly.
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Deciduous Trees: Magnolia, Japanese Maple, Serviceberry ('Rainbow Pillar'), Crabapple, Dogwood, Paperbark Maple, Seven-Son Flower, Stewartia.
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Grasses: Little Bluestem, Purple Love Grass, Switchgrass ('Skyracer'), Fountain Grass, Sedge (compact, airy varieties).
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Shrubs: Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood, Ninebark, Aronia, Buttonbush, Callicarpa, Fothergilla, Winterberry.
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Perennials: Hellebore, Yarrow (improved cultivars), Allium ('Millennium'), Penstemon, Sedum, Shasta Daisy, Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Hyssop, Avens, Coneflower, Betony.
Dont forget the grasses! this is an upright Miscanthus called Oktoberfest
Plants to Skip (for Foundation Beds)
Rhododendrons, Yews, Forsythia, Hydrangeas, Weeping Cherries, Roses, and traditional Holly can quickly overwhelm foundation beds or leave naked branches all winter. These beloved plants deserve spots in the landscape where their size and growth habits are assets rather than problems.
A local example:
This is simple planting, but it repeats on both sides since it is a symmetrical house. The size of the trees on either side match the size of the house and will only get a bit bigger in time. They do have hydrangeas (sticks in front) but they put boxwoods behind them to make sure there is winter interest. Last, they played with evergreen color by switching to blue spruces on either side of the stairs. Blue and red are opposite on the color well so it looks good with the bricks.
Plant Resources
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Lull and Brookdale: Fantastic source for perennials and grasses.
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Mason Hollow Nursery: Ideal for larger shrubs and trees, specializing in shade-loving plants.
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Mr. Maple: Specialty online retailer for Japanese maples and other unique plants suited to colder climates (mrmaple.com).
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The Big Little Garden: Local advice and inspiration (thebiglittlegarden.com).
Need a Hand?
Scout Hill Farm can guide you through choosing plants or planning your beds. Contact Holly at holly@scouthillfarm.com (hourly rate and access to wholesale-priced plants).
I’m Holly, a flower obsessed local. I am part of the garden club, conservation commission and I love to talk to anyone who likes to garden. I have a flower bouquet CSA here you can buy on my website or I can take custom orders. Follow me on instagram or facebook at Scout Hill Farm. https://scouthillfarm.com/