Just a comment on the north facing situation. It's the back of my house that faces due north. I'm in zone 6, which for me means very hot summers and winters with bitter cold, and cycles of snow - ice - thaw that can be plant killers. Throw in prairie winds out of the west and it's no fun right now. But my absolute favorite planting bed is a 9' x 20' border snugged up against the back of the house beside my back patio. I understand what you mean about the intense light in summer, but there may be a trick to it that will help you decide about what you will plant. I've watched how the shade line moves back toward the house as we move from spring up to the summer solstice (about June 21). At that point the shade line is about as close as it will get to the house itself. For me, there's a 3 ft band that is always in the shade. I don't plant that close to the house, but I do plant near that 3 ft mark. Those plants have access to growing some of their roots toward the shade. Plus the plants nearest the house are shaded through the days of the spring when the tilt of the earth thingy is moving that shade line. Anything closer to the house also gets the reprieve from the sun soonest as the shade line moves back in the other direction further and further from the house. In other words around the spring equinox (about March 21) the house shades an area extending beyond the bed and the patio. At that point everything is in complete shade and the plants are coaxed up from the ground by the warming earth and gentle ambient light. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths poke up a little later here because they are kept cooler in the shade. Right at the sweet spot (about 5 ft from the house in my situation) a gorgeously robust clematis is beginning to need a little more space. It usually blooms long and then blooms again in the fall. So far I mostly have shade plants in this entire bed in spite of the fact that I know the afternoon light is coming. Kept watered, and tended, and mulched, I have been amazed at how well these shade prefering plants do. But ... I think it helps that as the earth's tilt again shifts the light southward, the shade in this area slowly begins to give its reprieve to these plants. I once used this bed for vegies ... just to see how that would go ... and the things that really love light to do well and are harvested in Aug and later, didn't produce much once they were tucked under the growing edge of the shade. Your situation is different, so you'll have to watch the light. On a sunny day in January the north side of my house is gloomy and significantly colder. The south side is the brighter warmer side. Anyway, my point is that you can work with this exposure and expect good results. There are all kinds of ways to create shade protection. A stepping stone in just the right spot is incredibly effective for keeping the ground moist and cool near a plant. I sometimes use that technique in addition to plenty of mulch. I love my north side beds and was actually planning to add hydrangia to my little playground in back. Wellspring

12 year old post, and still no good answers. Wow. OK, so reviving this for those who follow. I live in an area known for Blue Spruce trees (Colorado). Not offering expert advice here, but I will provide some observations from 50 years of living with these trees: 1) We plant Blue Spruce trees very close to houses in this area. By "very", I mean a few feet from the house. In 50 years of living here, I've never heard of anybody having foundation problems due to a spruce tree being too close (other trees, yes). Not saying it's not possible, but 10 feet away is not going to be a problem. 2) Healthy Blue Spruce trees don't come crashing down, nor do they shed big limbs. Even very heavy spring snow tends to damage other trees, while the spruce trees weather it just fine. Unhealthy / dying trees should be taken down. 3) In mountain communities, people build houses surrounded by spruce and pine trees -- again often just feet from their houses. And again, people are not chopping down these trees due to fear of foundation problems. Some smart folks do start felling them for fire mitigation, but that is a different subject. 4) We personally have 2 Blue Spruce trees right next to our house, both of which were planted many years before we moved in. They are at least 25 years old, towering above our house. No foundation or basement damage has occurred from these mature trees. Keeping the gutters clean is a pain, and we have to be sure limbs are kept off the roof to prevent damage to shingles. 5) Blue Spruce trees do get big -- so if you don't want a big tree in your yard they are not for you. 6) Grass under the tree will typically die out or be very thin, unless it is a kind that tolerates shade and soil conditions created by the trees. However, some ground covers (like vinca minor) will thrive and are a nice compliment.

I wrote out a whole long response and then lost it when my browser crashed . . . here's the main essence of my suggestions, although I still would vote for no foundation plantings. I would suggest that you map out any paths with flour, not just as a single line, but the actual width and location of the path and try walking it to see if it is comfortable, even if they are paths you won't use much. You don't want to leave so little width that anyone walking the path has to brush up against your plants. You will want your plantings to stay low as well as narrow. If you grow them up to the bottom of your window, they will be against the shingles and you will have discoloration and rot issues. I'm making some general suggestions of shrubs that stay low, but I don't know how much sun this area gets, which will influence what does well. For instance, the red color on the Midnight Wine weigela will be better in more sun, while the variegated leaves on My Monet weigela will do better with some shade. Also, there may be some lime leaching from the foundation, so you may want to do a soil test in that area to see how acidic or alkaline your soil is. I'll let you look up requirements of plants that appeal to you. Here are some low bushes to look into: -Small weigelas include 'My Monet' and 'Midnight Wine', both of which will stay under 2' height and width. -Rhododendron 'Checkmate' is a PJM type of rhodie, but unlike regular PJMs my Checkmate, which is probably 6 years old and went in as a 2' high plant is now only 3' tall. It might be a bit wider than you want, but should be easy to keep in check with light pruning. Some other rhodies with shorter stature can be found on the site linked below, which allows you to search by height, and then the database entries will include width. Not all of these will be easily found, however. -There are some small boxwood varieties, like 'Morris Midget' and 'Morris Dwarf'. -There are several varieties of short, golden leaved spireas, though I am not sure how wide they get. -Some of the new varieties of Hydrangea macrophylla are quite short, such as the Cityline series (Berlin, Venice, Rio, Paris, etc.) though they aren't hardy enough for me to have any experience with them. Another option would be to have plants that stay skinny enough so that they won't be against the foundation. A trellis with one of the smaller clematis might work for you. 'Piilu' is one that is fairly restrained (usually 4-5 feet) but still flowers well. 'Bijou' stays under 2 feet. You could ask on the clematis forum for other suggestions. If you put the trellis between the windows, it would have the decorative metal work for winter interest, and the flowers in the summer without blocking the window. Here is a link that might be useful: American Rhododendron Society database search

Oh, I wasn't planning to do it, but I see a lot of this: lately in the houses we're looking at, and I was wondering if it's a problem, and if so, how big. (That's not a water leak patch--the entire foundation has been sealed all round the house, every vent.)