How far/close should the shrubs to the house foundation?
greendale
11 years ago
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggingthedirt
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How far away from foundation should shrubs be planted?
Comments (3)You want to leave a bit of space when the plant is mature so that it's not rubbing up against the house. If you will need to get back there to paint, or wash windows, or whatever, leave even more space. Having to hack away at a shrub to keep it within the space you've alloted for it often spoils the plant's natural shape unless you are going for a trimmed hedge anyway. Plants continue to grow, the height and width given on plant labels and descriptions usually refers to the size at a particular age, like 5 years or 10 years. In time they will likely exceed that size, how much depends on the plant. You can use the label's sizes as a guide....See MoreHow Far Away From the Wall/ House Should I Plant My Limelight Hyd
Comments (13)THANK YOU everyone for your all of your thoughtful insight. hcmcdole: I really like your idea of trying to grow them as a free form esapaillar. Or what if I just prune REALLY aggressively on the backside???... So here's what I'm thinking I'm going to do: I am going to prune REALLY aggressively on the backside of the plant to minimize it's growth and spread against the wall... Do you think this would work??? I don't mind how much if it wants to spread forward away from the wall or side ways in width. I would also like to minimize and maintain about a 5 foot height... That way it can overlap the bottom edge of my windows... And I can see the flowers even from the inside of the house. Is limelight the kind of hydrangea that will respond well to pruning and shaping during the growing season??? I know that I would probably make my life a whole lot easier if I just got the Little Lime variety... But it was nearly twice as much for a 2 gallon... Which isn't in my budget. What do you all think??? Am I going to be sorry years from now for even considering this idea and thinking I can keep Limelights growth maintained with pruning during the growing season??? I've never had much luck with hydrangeas in the past... So it's difficult for me to fathom a hydrangea that will grow 8 feet tall and grow so quickly....See MoreOld Home Foundation Vents...open or close?
Comments (1)Ah, yes, the old cellar/foundation vent question..... We go round on this one, regularly, in this household. And there are experts on both (all?) sides. I note you live in Virginia, so your issues are different than mine in northern NY, because we are so much colder in the winter and our summers are different. But, I believe that in the effort to make houses more energy efficient, by modern standards, it can be a mistake to close up the vents if the result is trapping moisture vapor rising up through the soil under the house. However the vapor problem can be ameliorated (and really should be if you close the vents) by other means. In the winter we have to keep our cellar and exposed foundation well insulated or our pipes will freeze, but in the summer I want to get the foundation windows open and cellar door ajar in order to move air through and out using wind and air pressure differentials. This exposes the cold stone walls of the cellar to warm moist air and causes condensation, but eventually it diminishes as the walls warm and dry over the summer. A sealed crawl space or cellar can also have radon issues, if that's a problem in your area. What we did, (FWIW) is cover cellar floor with vapor retardant material; keep everything buttoned up during the winter, but opened up in the summer. Monitor for radon, so far negative. Does that help? If you are having a specific problem or issue other than the dilemma of what the general protocol should be, I could make other suggestions. Oh, one other thing: opening up the crawl space and cellar may let in more mice, but also allows milk and black racer snakes to enter and take care of the problem, at least up here. In your case the reptiles may not be so benign or welcome. (When I lived in VA, some of my neighbors had serious copperhead issues...) Molly~...See MoreHow close should patio be next to house?
Comments (3)Most patios are sited immediately adjacent to the structure. If they are designed and constructed properly with a slope or slight cant away from the structure, there is minimal concern about any moisture penetration....See Morediggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoclaireplymouth z6b coastal MA
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoasarum
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggingthedirt
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogreendale
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoFroofyCat
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogreendale
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
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