52 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149
Ditch the ho-hum foundation planting
for one that stands out from the crowd.
garden design
Eʣ
very house has a foundation, but every house
doesn’t have a planting that really shows it off
to its best advantage. Boosting curb appeal
adds value to your home—from 4 to 12 percent—and
gives you a beautiful view every time you pull in the
drive. A foundation planting with balance, scale and
unity makes your home and landscape look like one
cohesive unit. Add a splash of color and it’ll look
fantastic to anyone driving by or taking a leisurely
stroll through the neighborhood.
There are as many different ways for a foundation
planting to look good as there are houses, so where
do you begin? Let’s review the basics.
START WITH BIG STUFF Trees and shrubs are
the “bones” of your foundation planting. They
provide structure all year, often have multiseason
appeal, such as fall foliage or winter berries, and give
smaller-sized annuals and perennials a backdrop so
it’s easier to see their colors and shapes. Check out
the illustrations at right for some different ways to
position them around a variety of house styles.
Remember to check the mature size of large
plants and allow room for them to grow when they
go in the ground: Trees and shrubs planted too close
can damage the house, overgrow a walkway or cover
architectural details that give your home its person-
ality. Also, be sure the shrubs don’t grow higher than
the lowest window pane so you don’t block the view.
ADD SOME COLOR Of course you want color
in your foundation planting, and while fl owersare great for this, don’t forget about foliage. Most
trees and shrubs are varying shades of green but
you’ll also fi nd blue, burgundy or variegated leaves.
Stick to using just one or two colorful woody plants
as accents so they stand out better. For example,
a burgundy-foliaged plant is a great way to tie
a brick home and its garden together. But a
planting fi lled with burgundy foliage would make
it hard to tell the difference between the home
and garden. Having green-foliaged plants nearby
provides the contrast needed to make the darker
foliage stand out.
Stick with a simple color scheme that coordinates
with your home’s siding, paint or trim color for a
polished and cohesive look and plant big groups of
the same color for more impact. Avoid the onesie-
twosie approach—it’s hard to see individual plants
from the street or sidewalk.
Flowers from annuals or perennials will give you
the widest range of colors and they offer lots of
fl exibility. You can easily change your color scheme
each year or with the seasons.
GO LOW MAINTENANCE People don’t usually
hang out in the front yard, but this is the public face
of your home so choose plants that don’t need fuss-
ing and that will look good long term.
We’re just getting started with the ways you can
create a great foundation planting. Turn the page for
more tips you can use to roll out the welcome mat
with style.GG14952_57_Foundation.indd 52GG14952_57_Foundation.indd 52 6/26/2019 11:19:39 AM6/26/2019 11:19:39 AM52 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149
Ditch the ho-hum foundation planting
for onethatstandsoutfromthecrowd.
garden design
Eʣ
very house has a foundation, but every house
doesn’t have a planting that really shows it off
to its best advantage. Boosting curb appeal
adds value to your home—from 4 to 12 percent—and
gives you a beautiful view every time you pull in the
drive. A foundation planting with balance, scale and
unity makes your home and landscape look like one
cohesive unit. Add a splash of color and it’ll look
fantastic to anyone driving by or taking a leisurely
stroll through the neighborhood.
There are as many different ways for a foundation
planting to look good as there are houses, so where
do you begin? Let’s review the basics.
START WITH BIG STUFF Trees and shrubs are
the “bones” of your foundation planting. They
provide structure all year, often have multiseason
appeal, such as fall foliage or winter berries, and give
smaller-sized annuals and perennials a backdrop so
it’s easier to see their colors and shapes. Check out
the illustrations at right for some different ways to
position them around a variety of house styles.
Remember to check the mature size of large
plants and allow room for them to grow when they
go in the ground: Trees and shrubs planted too close
can damage the house, overgrow a walkway or cover
architectural details that give your home its person-
ality. Also, be sure the shrubs don’t grow higher than
the lowest window pane so you don’t block the view.
ADD SOME COLOR Of course you want color
in your foundation planting, and while fl owersare great for this, don’t forget about foliage. Most
trees and shrubs are varying shades of green but
you’ll also fi nd blue, burgundy or variegated leaves.
Stick to using just one or two colorful woody plants
as accents so they stand out better. For example,
a burgundy-foliaged plant is a great way to tie
a brick home and its garden together. But a
planting fi lled with burgundy foliage would make
it hard to tell the difference between the home
and garden. Having green-foliaged plants nearby
provides the contrast needed to make the darker
foliage stand out.
Stick with a simple color scheme that coordinates
with your home’s siding, paint or trim color for a
polished and cohesive look and plant big groups of
the same color for more impact. Avoid the onesie-
twosie approach—it’s hard to see individual plants
from the street or sidewalk.
Flowers from annuals or perennials will give you
the widest range of colors and they offer lots of
fl exibility. You can easily change your color scheme
each year or with the seasons.
GO LOW MAINTENANCE People don’t usually
hang out in the front yard, but this is the public face
of your home so choose plants that don’t need fuss-
ing and that will look good long term.
We’re just getting started with the ways you can
create a great foundation planting. Turn the page for
more tips you can use to roll out the welcome mat
with style.