Here you will find a selection of plants that are commonly used as foundation plants. Foundation plants are shrubs used for planting along homes and building to soften their look, enhance curb appeal and tie it to the surrounding landscape.
Some considerations to keep in mind when choosing foundation plants are:
- Style/Color
- Size
- Scale
- Seasons
The style of your house should be one of the biggest factors in selection foundation plants. For example, a colonial house should have different foundation plants compared to a house that is of southwest style or modern style. The colonial would have more traditional, tight growing plants such as boxwood whereas the southwest style home would have spikey type plants to give a desert feeling and the modern house having open, more free growing plants. Choose plants with colors that compliment the color of the house and don't blend into it. A red brick would absorb plants such as the Cistena Plum Shrubs with deep red leaves, yet those same plants would appear striking along side a white frame house. The gorgeous blooms of the Nikko Blue Hydrangea would be wasted stuck in front of a blue vinyl sided house. You get the idea.
Typical foundation plants are generally smaller growing plants (under 6) and anchored on the corners with somewhat larger growing plants. The length of the windows usually dictate the height for most foundation plants. If the windows on the house start at 3 feet above the ground, then select plants that will grow no more than 3 1/2 feet tall. Placing taller plants in front of windows is not good for security. For taller, larger growing plants to use as anchor plants, visit our Accent Plants department and filter the selection down to the heights of 6-10 and 10-15, your zone, light requirements, etc. for a selection.
Scale is a consideration most forgotten. Small houses should have small growing plants to keep in scale and not overwhelm the house as the plants mature. Large scale houses can comfortably have larger growing plants without the house seeming to disappear behind the plants.
Foundation plants should offer color and texture for at least 3 seasons if not all 4. This is the reason that evergreens, both conifers and broadleafs, are often used for foundation plants. Try to plant at least 50% of the foundation plants in evergreens to keep greenery around the house year around. All deciduous foundation plants creates a bare house over the winter months. Select a few choice flowering shrubs or small trees, perennials and ornamental grasses to further extent color and texture in the other seasons.
