Tree for foundation planting

16 years ago

I am looking to soften the front of my house with a tree - the area receives full sun, good soil. I would like an upright (so as not to create to much shade) and growing to about 15-18 feet. I was thinking deciduous since I have evergreen shrubs in border and love a flowering tree or interesting bark. I am not a big "weeping tree" person.

ANy ideas? Deer not a problem. I have an irrigation system.

Thank you,

Nancy

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Comments (8)

picea
16 years ago
Since you have good soil and an irrigations system and your in zone 5 I would try a Korean Stewartia. It is one of the best 4 season plants available, great bark, flowers and have great fall color. David
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krazyaroider
16 years ago
Try Cornus Kousa - Chinese Dogwood - nice shape,flowers, bark on mature trees. It has a fine root system so large roots should not be an issue.
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Not a designer, but have planted a few plants in my lifetime to good effect. It all depends on where you will place this plant (corner, nook next to stairs, etc), the style of your house, the color of your house, other plantings in place, and the eventual height and width you want to target. A picture is always helpful. I see that you are in zone 7 of Maryland. I can throw out some general suggestions based on the zone you live in and the assumption that this is full sun: Foster holly/hybrids (if you like chartruese, try Ilex x attentuata 'Sunny'. A stunning plant all year round and can be kept to a reasonable size by pruning, which also keeps the chartruese new foliage coming.), Juniperus 'Sky Rocket', any number of Chamaecyparis, Thuga 'Emerald Spire'. The list can go on and on. It all depends on what you need.
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I like your selection of plants, but your drawing indicates that everything is going to be planted like a skirt around the house. I'm wondering if they are so packed in that some of the beauty of the plantings may be lost, and that you might not be able to even see the house. This format may be de rigeur for foundation plantings, but I am not a fan of them, and would like to elaborate on what Ken was saying. I manage property for a living, and over time, have removed many of the foundation plantings from the properties I manage. People plant shrubs and trees that are cute little things from the nursery with no regard to the fact that they can grow huge at mature size. Over the years they become difficult to maintain and the homeowner is enslaved in a battle of hedge clippers vs. foundation plantings. Inevitably, they have to be removed. Foundation plantings also encourage rodent and insect pests, harbor moisture against the house, encourage the growth of mildew, and rot out trim and siding. Houses need to breathe. The homeowner needs room around the house for misc. maintenance and a place to put the hose. When the house needs a new roof or paint job, workers need places set up their equipment, throw the shingles, and tromp around the house. General rules of thumb: no vegetation should be touching the house. No vines growing on house. 2 feet minimum between side of house and branches at mature size. 10 feet between roof and tree branches. Personally I don't care if you can see my foundation. There are a few standard shrubs around the house, but mostly I use dwarf shrubbery, perennials and bulbs. Have you considered easing up on some of the foundation plantings and creating an ornamental border for some of the plants? Perhaps planting the specimen trees in the yard instead?
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In order to figure out the bed line, you need to project forward as to what landscaping could do for the house. Shade is not the only purpose trees have. They can provide "framing" for a structure, making it seem nestled in and sheltered. It makes sense to me that you use a small tree in this way, off of the right front corner. (By "tree," I mean a plant that gets as tall as the one shown in a picture. Not a giant fir. Most likely, it would be made of a large "shrub.") It's going to be impossible to keep the conifer near the corner of the driveway in the shrub form (with branches to the ground) because such limbs and branches will be constantly in the way of using the yard and driveway. It would be best to accept this fact and work on achieving a tree form, which means, don't wait too long before removing bottom branches as the tree grows. A groundcover bed below it now could be circular. Over time, as the tree canopy enlarges, this bed would likely change shade and adapt to the driveway, since it so close. Instead of planting (creating green barricades) in front of the low slung porch, I think it would be better to create a landing across its width that invites a connection and access to the green carpet lawn. If you wanted, you could leave cut-outs in it for planting at the base of the porch columns, for some low color planting. In the process, I would consider enlarging the existing walk some. It seems confined.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
please keep in mind that planting to hide foundations.. has absolutely nothing to do with planting too close to the foundation ...

whatever you decide on .... plant it far enough away from the house.. so that it never becomes a problem ...

for stunning effect .. how about a tri color beech .. two pix below ... ignore the dwarf ...

it may get a bit bigger than you want.. in 25 years ... but in my world.. enjoy it for 20 years.. and then get rid of it .... rather than skipping it for such reasons ...

good luck

ken
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Iris GW
16 years ago
For that size, don't forget to consider shrubs that grow large enough to be small trees. Something like Viburnum prunifolium 'Summer Magic'.

This is a native shrub that gets up to 15 feet tall with an very upright form. It has attractive white flowers.
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nancy0903
Original Author
16 years ago
They all sound like great ideas. I just put a Kousa in another garden. This will be it's first season of bloom. I looked up the Stewartia, Viburnum and Beech - any could work well. I think I'll give the Stewartia (is the Korean the one to get? I read mixed accounts of this) a go and I'll keep the other ideas tucked away. There's another garden forming off the patio!!! I LOVE this time of year!
Thanks.
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deebs43
16 years ago
Wow, Ken -- That beech is gorgeous. I've been looking for a small-to-medium specimen tree to replace a big oak that threatened the house.... I think I may have to look into that tri-color beech. Thanks for posting the pictures!
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nancy0903
Original Author
16 years ago
It is really beautiful. Does it hold that color all season? I've never seen anything like it.
Thanks.
Nancy
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13 years ago
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Tree for foundation planting

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Tree for foundation planting

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