Help layering foundation plants

2 years ago

I want to plant three rows along the wall in this garden. I’m in zone 5B so having some winter interest is important. This bed is part-sun. The rose of Sharon has been relocated. The smoke tree is not a favourite of mine and can go if necessary. This space is 25’ x 12’ at the widest point.

I was thinking along the wall of doing a hedge of evergreen - I like yews and would aim for a more natural top rather than formal hedge look. I’d keep them about 40” high which is just below the window ledge. Next would be a row of hydrangeas. Something that grows to about 36”. Then front row would be hostas.

Alternatively, I could go with a bigger hydrangea at the back, evergreen (yew or juniper) for the second row and then hosta in front.

I’m not really sure if there are any pros/cons to consider about what order to do with evergreen vs hydrangea except for how easy it will be to place Christmas lights once a year. And maybe it would look better if the evergreens are in the middle row when everything is bare Nov-Apr?

If I take out the smoke tree, I was thinking of a tall skinny juniper tree in the back corner by the fence.

I’d love any feedback or ideas. Thank you!

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Comments (8)

Laura
Original Author
2 years ago
The service alley is a great idea, thank you! I’ll be sure to leave plenty of space. Hellebores look very cool but unfortunately they wouldn’t survive in our winter.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
2 years ago
You might be surprised at how soon you'd discover that the shrubs have gotten away from you and become too big - so be sure to do your homework and choose varieties that are genetically smaller at maturity. Make sure to choose varieties that tolerate part shade also (observe the area to see how many hours of light it actually gets.)

There are a few viburnums that keep their leaves through winter in 5b. You might check them out.

I also don't really like the idea of a row of evergreens plus a row of hydrangea - that seems like a lot of mass, even though it is a wide bed. I could see scattering a couple of small hydrangea in front of the evergreens instead of a solid row. I do agree with the more natural top on the evergreens.

Then I would add some plants that also keep a presence in winter, along with the hostas which will disappear in winter. Heuchera and hellebores, and even a low growing (carpet) evergreen or two, added in will be more interesting.
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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
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Hi drtygrl, thanks for the comments. I didn't fully explain my intentions in my first post. I intend to remove the timbers below the yews and extend the foundation planting to be deeper and layered. Perhaps I gave the impression that I simply wanted to plant a row of 'something' against the foundation. The odd landscape area on the bank is part of a section of the landscape that's not visible in the photos. There are wooden/brick steps that lead from the upper level of the yard to the level where the front door is located. (It currently needs some repair work--we put it in over twenty years ago.) There is a bed to the left of the steps that includes pink spirea, iris, day lilies, phlox,... It extends out to the left to include and camoflauge the location of our well cap, which is oddly placed at the top of the slope (in the lamb's ear area). That area also extends on the right side of the steps, where there is another pink spirea down in front of the wall, the pachysandra which you see peeking out in the photo, and other perennials, which extend along the edge of our weirdly shaped driveway to the sidewalk. When we built the stone wall we removed a cureved area of landscaping that we used to have on the upper level that softened the look of the timbers under the yews and curved toward the planting I just described. We also removed one or two yews that were to the right side of the front window at that time. We never got around to putting anything back in that space. I guess that's part of what I'm asking about now. The tree in front of the house is a small variety of magnolia.
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Just a couple of more thoughts after reviewing the new photo....I'd like to see a small (4-5') pyramid shaped evergreen (hinoki cypress - feathery, very slow growing) in the right corner up near the fence. It would repeat the window dormer and door overhange that is triangle shape. You also have to think of what will look good in the winter - hence the recommendations for traditional evergreens. Outside the fence, right corner, I would like to see a flowering tree of some kind. I think what bothers me is that the left side of the house is tall and heavy and the right needs something of substance to balance it. Since $ is a problem for now, see if you can find some of the flag stone like your outside walk way is and put them in a sitting area. Set them around, then take a knife and cut an outline, dig down the depth of the stone plus 1 inch, put 1 inch of sand, put stone back in, grass seed the remainder area (makes it easy to run a lawnmower over the stones. That area looks rather small, so I would opt for just a few evergreens to 'ground' the perimeter, then use containers of difference sizes/shapes in between the evergreens. Consider items to put outside the fence area but closer than your lilac. Just a few items that will 'extend' the view of your yard. I can't see from the photo but it looks like the left side out beyond the fence could have a nice gentle curve of shrubs making the lawn area where the chairs are and the inside of the fenced area appear as if one large circle. The curve (or line if you prefer) would feel like gathering arms enclosing the whole area, create a boundry, so as people come in the driveway they have a sense of direction. As for under the small lump out window, get some cinder blocks with holes, stack them up, and plant some annuals for now. (Or build a bench like used at a picnic table.) They are easy to move around and you will get a better feel for height, shape, etc. this year. As others have stated, you want to be able to see things from inside your house as well as the outside. Go for blocks of color but keep colors to just 2-3. Too much variety and color becomes busy and confusing to the eye. While you may appreciate the variety up close, from a distance it can look muddied and bland. But you may like the cottage look......IMHO, I think the house calls for firm shapes and colors and simplicity. Brightly painted chairs could provide the accent color you need to give it punch (like the chairs by the maple tree, but painted a bright yellow, and placed on your new 'patio/sitting area.' Finally, just take your time. Remember it all takes maintenance!
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Laura
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you raee - I’ve learned the lesson about picking the right variety a few times and I think I’ve narrowed it down as long as you can actually trust what’s on the label.

I hear you about the row of hydrangeas. Maybe just spacing three bushes evenly in the space instead? I’ve been swooning over some of the pictures I found online of people that have these beautiful rows of hydrangeas.

I love the red twig dogwoods but I’m not sure if they need more sun than this bed provides. We have a huge spruce that will be coming down this year and it may allow more light through once it’s gone. Appreciate your comments!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years ago
Rows of anything are never a good look.......unless you are a farmer planting a crop :-) It is far more aesthetically pleasing and better design principles if you plant in drifts or clusters of like plants.

Redtwig dogwoods can take both sun or shade, moist soil or dry. A very adaptable and hardy plant.
Laura
Original Author
2 years ago
Gardengal - I’m okay to channel my inner farmer! This look just speaks to me and thankfully beauty is subjective. It would be such a boring world if we all liked the same thing ;) But, I hear you about clusters and I don’t want to re-do this garden in a few years so I’ll Google some other images that feature the plants I like.

Thanks for the dogwood info :)
Sigrid
2 years ago
I'd vote for clusters as well. Among other things, you need to keep your windows clear of any plant blocking it. The other thing is that a mixed border will have different bloom times, rather than one flush of blooms and the rest of the year just green.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
2 years ago
Red twig dogwoods are great, but my experience is that you do have to prune the older twigs to keep renewing the red color - and this is a shrub that likes to expand, also - I have to cut back branches and pull out rooted branches and offshoots every year (mine is in part shade, maybe it is looking for more sun?)
laceyvail 6A, WV
2 years ago
"Hellebores look very cool but unfortunately they wouldn’t survive in our winter."

Hellebores are fully hardy in zone 5B.

Help layering foundation plants

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Laura
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raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio

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Help layering foundation plants

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LauraOriginal Author

raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio

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