Help with shade loving evergreen foundation shrubs please! Zone 5
Gina L
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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evergreen shrub for southern exp, dry, hot, windy foundation.
Comments (3)May I suggest.. plant some tall ornamental grasses. even in the middle of a hay field with no shade July, the soil stays cool. Most heat loving plants have issues with their ROOT temperatures more than the air temperature. If you do not like grasses, you can still use them as a nurse crop for a few years until the desired shrub is big and strong enough to handle the harsh conditions. The grasses should buffer the heat, and offer wind protection, and by doing that, they will help conserve moisture in that bed. Just make sure that even after the grasses are not there, you keep an underplanting to keep the roots cool. My dad has the same problem (a south facing concrete porch), and some good ground covers are Petunias (but only if the wind is not too bad low to the ground), they love heat, and lamb's ear... which for him has become a weed. It started in a 4 inch pot and has spread to cover a large area. Also many old world herbs are used to dry, hot conditionds. But I think you would do best with daisies or grasses. and there are some very nice ornamental grasses around. and the effect of the wind on them would be quite beautiful! Hope this helps....See MoreHelp me with foundations shrubs in zone 3
Comments (15)I am reviving this thread because I have a couple more questions. Mazermolm, I love the idea of the honeyberries! Since you posted the idea, they have been at the top of my list. (I went on vacation right after starting this thread so didn't have time to reply). BUT I just stumbled upon the idea of using Annabelle Hydrangea instead. I think having the big white flowers in July would look great in the spot and from what I have read, it seems like it would stay a good size for this location, but I am a little worried it might get too big over time. Also I am not sure I will want to prune them down every year as recommended. We were pruning down the Arctic Willows every year which is why we took them out. I love the idea of having a show stopping low hedge, there, though. Any thoughts on the Hydrangea? Which would you choose if you had to decide between the two? Honeyberries or Hydrangea. We will have honeyberries in other parts of our yard if we don't plant them here....See MoreFoundation shrub suggestions - Zone 6b/7a - Philadelphia
Comments (4)@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 - thank you so much for your quick response. I find in my neighborhood that people have a lot of hedges & arborvitaes and deciduous shrubs, which is exactly what I tore out. Or, they use a lot of azalea's, which I love but fear would last about a week with the deer in my yard. That said, I've attached some photos of homes that I saved on my gizmo that struck my fancy. I like round, symmetrical (some might save "typical" or "boring"), but I'm not afraid to try fun stuff. I just think in the front of the house, the less is more approach would be better for me. (I'm very "type-A" and I accidentally killed an indoor bamboo plant, if that's any indication to my style and skill set. :) PS - I agree with the Holly tree. I don't think it's very happy there. PPS - I think the house is considered a traditional colonial...pretty typical for the NE suburbs....See MorePlease help with foundation planting.... evergreens... shapes?
Comments (15)Thank you all for the feedback. I really appreciate it. In my original post I included north east usa zone 6, not just any zone 6 lol. Sorry to be so mysterious but I'm in Maryland, is that enough info, @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5? You have "cold" in Z5 but imagine how zone 4, zone 3, and feel lol! So many plants sold locally are zone 6 but, depending on placement, it seems safer to use plants zones colder to be wiser. I mean if people in cold, cold Canada can have nice plantings, why couldn't we. Fortunately I don't have to worry about seeing neighbors. Funny you mention junipers, @cecily 7A because I was thinking about using some junipers even though I've seen deer eating them by the road once. Hollies get eaten too but maybe the foundation will be safer. I'm more curious about what shapes you think I should put. I definitely don't want the 'soldier' look which I also see a lot of. Regarding looking out of your windows and expect to see foundation plants, how much do you see yours? Could I see your garden? Sorry if I'm being too forward. I'm so darn curious about everyone else's now, well at least people on Houzz who put more thought into these things more than the average person. [i do wonder how the color looks in sun .... that drab cloudy day in the pic.. looks like its out my windows.. lol ...] I meant to respond to this--everything is wet in that photo so for example the stairs look darker than the lattice because the stairs are wet and the lattice is dry. 30 feet!? I'd love to see what your garden looks like, Ken! Please, please post a pic. It's hard to see but the largest part is 11 ft by the CM and smallest part is 4ft, by the gas meter which I'm not supposed to block. Since I can't even imagine what kind of shrub etc shapes should go on the foundation as is, I have no idea how something as huge as a 30ft bed could work. I don't have unlimited money or child labor to exploit unfortunately so no matter what I do it will be slow going for me lol. Just to get to the basics maybe I can try to draw something and post it here and maybe someone can tell me if I'm anywhere in the right direction....See MoreGina L
4 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoGina L
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoAnna (6B/7A in MD)
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoSylvia C
4 years agoGina L
4 years agoSylvia C
4 years agoGina L
3 years agoNancy R Chicagoland 5
3 years ago
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