Foundation plantings are essential elements of landscape design

17February

Foundation Plantings

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At one time foundation plantings were mainly used to hide the bases of older houses. Terrascapes believes foundation plantings should emphasize and brighten your house and make it more welcoming. We consider screening the ugly foundation as a secondary underlying benefit to a beautiful and carefully selected planting. Gardens at the front of a house are used to complement the home appearance, to blend it into the surroundings and to create an inviting entrance.

Walkway Foundation Planting The walkway is bordered on one side with the garage. The foundation is planted with hydrangea, azaleas, and other seasonal perennials and looks good all year round. (The "Seasons" Tab under Elements of Design shows this walkway in all seasons.)
Wall Foundation Planting This lushly planted wall foundation helps it to look less austere.
Shrub Foundation Planting A trio of 4' tall variety rhododendrons were planted in this narrow foundation. We added the trellises for vertical interest and planted them with Jackmanii clematis.
Shrub Foundation Planting Spring Wigela blooms late spring.
Shrub Foundation Planting Summer A mix of hydrangea and wigela extend the flowering season of this foundation planting.
Low Maintenance Drought Tolerant Foundation Planting Very low maintenance drought tolerant plants were used in this plan. The Japanese maple was transplanted from the rear yard.
Romantic Foundation Planting This client had a specific request for "low maintenance romantic." Our translation resulted in Fairy roses, ornamental grasses, and ground cover geraniums.
Dry Creek Foundation Planting An artist lives in this Weston home. We copied the dragon shape of her interior rug and translated it into a dry creek surrounded by drought tolerant plants. The dry creek also serves as a play area for the kids and the hose is hidden in a container hidden amongst the grasses.
Dry Creek Foundation Planting Kids run in the dry creek. We used a mix of Mexican pebbles and an imported pebble from Indonesia to create the stream-bed. We hide the hose in the container which is concealed further when the grasses grow tall.
Dry Creek Foundation Planting From here the residents can view the dwarf maple at the end of the creek. When the creek fills up with snow, it looks like a white stream from the window.
Foundation Perennial Planting (Front of House) Late summer shows the hydrangea in the corner blooming, an annual mandavilla growing up the downspout, Shasta daisy still blooming, and the ornamental grasses in the corner.
Foundation Perennial Planting Overgrown shrubs were removed from this foundation and and wigela 'Wine & Roses' along with native holly and Ilex glabra were planted as the backbone of this bed. Phlox, sedums, ornamental grasses, daylillies and annuals add color and extend the season.
Foundation Perennial Planting (Opposite View)
Foundation Perennial Planting (Corner View)
Foundation Perennial Planting (Summer View) Phlox and ornamental grasses.
Perennial Foundation Planting Ornamental grass, geraniums, shasta daisy, wigela fill this corner with an antique birdbath.
Perennial Foundation Planting
Shrub Foundation Planting Here a hydrangea hedge is used as a foundation planting to screen the propane tank from the driveway.
Shrub Foundations This foundation was overgrown and overplanted, so we plucked out some scraggly shrubs, transplanted large azaleas and filled in with hellebores and annuals. Simple and clean look.
Shrub and Perennial Foundation and Screen A great many foundations are left barren. We filled this one up with a fragrant specimen vibernum, spirea, hosta, daylillies, and other perennials.
Shrub and Perennial Foundation and Screen (closer view) A great many foundations are left barren. We filled this one up with a fragrant specimen vibernum, spirea, hosta, daylillies, and other perennials. Propane tank can not be seen from patio.
Screening Bulkheads and Foundations Bulkheads can be a necessity when accessing the basement so we screen for summer months with herbaceous perennials which disappear in the winter. We used which False spirea is a nice tidy plant which stays in its assigned corner and after a few seasons grew very full.
Shrub and Perennial Foundation and Screen A bulkhead view reveals that the False spirea is doing its trick because you can't see it!
Shrub and Perennial Foundation and Screen Bulkhead is not visible from the patio and barely visible at all.
Shrub and Perennial Foundation and Screen Bulkhead not visible.
Window Well Foundation Planting Ground layer plants are used around this window well to hide the edges but leave access to the area. There is also a grate over the well so we put containers there sometimes. This is a combination of hollies and low growing wigelas.
Wall Foundation A simple holly hedge lines this walkway and the house foundation. The tall plants screening the oil tank are left open for access.
Chimney Foundation A bed was created between the walkway and the foundation so we planted it with a wispy willow and shade loving hostas.
Town House Foundation The lovely new plantings left by new construction developers often end up overgrown and overcrowded. Sometimes all we have to do is pluck out a few things and give the rest some breathing room. We added a hybrid dogwood and some annuals to this foundation for added color and interest.

Call today for a consultation on
integrating foundation plantings into your landscape design.

Terrascapes Landscape Design
Telephone: 781-449-1788

info@terrascapeslandscapedesign.com

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