do you have a color preference?? .. blue to match the door??? and of the bluish Pinus parviflora would work ...

the driveway is to the immediate left.. yes????

ken

Yes, the driveway is to the left.

As for color, I am open to anything, but the palette in the rock garden (which comprises the rest of the yard) is pretty much cool/glaucous. I would like to start to (carefully) introduce some warm colors (simply because it would expand my plant choices), so as mentioned above I am open to any colors for the foundation planting.

If you want to keep the scale small and slow growing, dwarf and/or miniature conifers may be your best bet. The "generally vertical in shape" conifers can be a bit tricky sometimes to keep in scale with other plants (unless the other plants are conifers). They tend to grow the fastest and since conifers won't stop growing soon, well, you get the idea. Depending on how much room the untrimmed box leaves you, I'd consider Thuja occidentalis 'Holmstrup' or 'Degroot's Spire' or Picea omorica 'Brun's Pendula'. Perhaps even something more pendulous. Something to go with the eventual miniatures that will make their way into your rock garden ;-).

tj

tj

i don't think a yellow.. unless very vibrant .. would go well with the brick color ... a lot of them are so open and airy .. that the effect might not work well ..

i recall the picture of your house.. i think i previously also recommended a de groots.. if not a grouping of three ...

do you want something thick and dense... or open and airy? i am trying to define your vision of what you might want ....

ken

Can you step back and take another picture? Can we see how tall the entire house is and how much room do you have on the sides of the house.
How much space in the foundation bed do you have to the left and do you have any bed space to the right? Although you only ask for help with one plant, you should look at the entire picture, not just one plant.
Also you may want to consider a mix of conifers and deciduous plants in the bed. You will have green boxwood (fine texture), it may be a little boring to pick another green conifer (with fine texture).
Also what direction does the house face, how much sun do you get. That will be very important in picking a plant that will grow well.
Mike

Our house is a very large one on a microscopic lot. That picture pretty much captures the whole thing! (sad to say but true....) One of my issues is with scale. I will try to attach another picture from a wider angle below.

This has been my dilemma: I love my rock garden out front, because I am at heart a plant collector and love tucking a plant in here, a plant in there. Plus, it allows me to mass plants all over the yard while avoiding too wild of a look. All around us are clipped lawns and arborvitae, so I feel as though I need a somewhat formal element at the foundation to kind of rein everything in. I have decided upon large boxwoods under the windows, and I won't clip the boxwoods to keep them a little more casual. For the corner spot near the driveway, I'd definitely prefer something airy and/or casual. I like the idea of the Degroot, as some have mentioned, but would like other suggestions, too.

One other thought I had was to scrap the boxwoods and go with a dwarf Austrian pine variety. But I think someone nixed that idea before because the Austrian pines can be finicky. Like I said, my soil has been amended with lots of compost and manure over the years, so I would say it is good for planting just about anything unless it has extreme requirements regarding soil acidity.

OK, let's try with the picture now:

{{gwi:15182}}

I assume from the picture, that there is a large tree providing some degree a shade to the front yard. If you can tell how much sun, shade, the area gets.
For example if you are only getting 2-3 hrs of direct sun, then a juniper would not work. It is more important to get plants that grow in the conditions you have.
The larger picture is a big help
Also is there a walk between the front door step and the drive. How wide and what is the shape - can it be changed.
A common problem with creating designs for plant collectors is to try to limit the variety of different plants. Simple is good, try to Limit you variety of plants so that there is some uniformity and a little repetition, this will tie everything togehter.
I too am a collector, but my collection is in the back yard. If you like a variety of plants - try groups of the same plant. I recommend odd numbers of 3 and 5 rather that one of this and one of that. I am not suggesting that this is the case here- just rampling on a little.

If there is a little shade in this area - ie it faces the north or east, and that big tree in the front blocks some of the direct sun then here are my suggestions.
Left to right -
1- Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' ( tall and narrow)
3- Abelia ( there are many different cultivars) they like sun and do good with a little shade)
Do not plant straight across, try planting 3 with center plant pulled forward a bit. Gives some visual interest.

then to the left of the front door ( next to the abelia)
1- Chamaecyparis obtusa Nana or something dwarf that only gets about 4ft at maturity
For perennials ( again if some shade) Use some heuchra plum pudding or any of the maroon cultivars --- plant in groups of 3-5. Or maybe some big hosta The bold leaves adds some visual interest
I would be ok with changing the color of the front door. Maybe some shade of maroon - The blue looks nice with the tan, but does not have much zing.

if there is any room on the right, there should be something planted on that side to help balance both sides. Obviously it does not have to be a matched green arrow, but maybe some small group of plants.

my 2 cents

Mike

Hi philosopher!~It has been awhile since I've been at this site, I see you're still struggling with your plant grouping. :(

Reminds me of me. We have very different houses (mine is a frame colonial) but similar situations: a tall house on a small close to the sidewalk lot, and an assymetrical entry.

I have also used grasses, mine are planted at the base of the steps for symmetry. Do you have any planting area to the right of the front door? I was thinking a tracery of branches or vines reaching for the door arch would be pretty.

Where does the idea that you need something vertical at the corner of the house come from? I really like the little flare at the base of your facade, and I don't think you should cover it up by planting too close to it.

Having said that, someone photoshopped a conifer into a picture of my house, I think they used a blue juniper. Juniperus scopulorum 'Wichita Blue' would probably fit the bill. Be careful not to plant it too close to the foundation.

I like the idea of boxwoods for winter interest, but a mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs would be more interesting.
I planted three dwarf inkberries, and while I do have green color in winter (and there's something to be said for that), it's not a very interesting feature. I'm tempted to move them again (for the third time)!

A little grouping in my side yard is better. I have 'Emerald Gaiety' euonymus planted to eventually crawl up the fence, fronted by a red-twigged dogwood and a mugo pine.

The "small" side of the steps also works. I have a purple ninebark and a Virginia sweetspire. I HAD some beautiful sedum in front of the shrubs. I moved them and they are languishing, so I may try moving them back to where they were happy, or getting some more.

Dianthus as edging (evergreen, well actually blue-green, foliage). These require super sharp drainage, so I've planted them in pea gravel. Maybe you could try them in the rock garden?

Winters are so long and so cold, I've been tempted to remove most of the perennials and concentrate on shrubs for winter interest. I would use a few annuals for summer long color.

I like the idea of having a collection of miniature conifers in your rock garden. I think it would benefit from layering some small boulders into the beds, and would help focus the eye on little vignettes created by the various textures and combinations you create.

Don't forget to let us see what you come up with! :)

I think Prairegirlz is onto something with the point about the flare at the base of your facade.

In my opinion, this is not a house that needs foundation planting because (a) it is beautiful all the way to the ground and (b) that flare does all the connecting it needs.

What I think your house needs is a frame, to enclose the lot. Could you not do all this formal evergreen planting out near the sidewalk and driveway, and run your rock garden to the house (and if this is the rock garden you refer to, I would suggest bigger rocks - there is an absence of structure in the yard that fails to connect it with the marvellously cohesive structure of the house).

If it were my house.... I might think about a little rock wall, a berm, even a fence along the front edge of the yard; just something to say "this yard is more connected to this house than to this public sidewalk." Foundation plantings will make the yard appear more public as they will separate it from the house.

You could pop a question in at the LD forum (where you might hear me again, but would also hear others who can assess/articulate such things better).

KarinL

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful comments. I especially appreciate all of those who have said that I don't need a foundation planting. I agree , but I am already on "the fringe element" of our neighborhood because we don't have a lawn, and I want to add the shrubs near the foundation as a kind of bridge between my landscape style and the manicured lawns/clipped yews of my neighbors' yards.

I think what I will do is add the three (or four) large boxwoods this spring and then leave them there alone for a while to consider what, if anything, to add around them. I will be sure to keep everyone apprised with snappies throughout.

Thank you again!