Foundation-Friendly Plants

When your beds are next to your house, fill them with a unique, but not overwhelming, item.

Designing the plantings around your home can be a tricky task for many gardeners. These plants are often seen up close and personal by visitors and the UPS guy, so they deserve to be an inviting feature in your home. But with a commanding house behind these beds, there are many areas where gardeners can go wrong. Classic mistakes include cramming all the plants around the front door (so the door can't be seen), a narrow bed that's only wide enough for one row of shrubs, or a red oak planted 4 feet from the foundation that grows into your gutters. At any time.

The most important aspect of your basement beds is to choose plants that will make an impact but won't take up space. You should include structural plants that create the structure and architecture of the space, but it's also important to include statement plants to weave the tapestry of the garden together. A combination of these two types of planting creates essential foundation beds for your home. Here are some of my go-to structural and statement foundation plants to try in your garden.

1. 'Faulkner' Boxwood

Buxus microphylla 'Faulkner'

There are some structural plants, such as the treasured boxwood (Buxus spp. and cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 4–9). Whether your aesthetic is formal, with tightly clipped hedges, or you enjoy the beauty of informal cloud-pruned plantings, boxwoods are the plants that make it possible. Over the past couple of years, I've fallen in love with 'Faulkner' boxwood. I was first drawn to this shrub because of its shiny glossy green—almost chartreuse—spring foliage, but quickly learned to appreciate it because of its compact, slow-growing habit. 'Faulkner' is easy to care for as a low-maintenance low hedge, and is one of the cultivars that has survived a series of brutal winters in the Midwest.

2. 'Frans Fontaine' European Hornbeam

Corbinus petulus 'Frances Fontaine'

"Architectural plant" might be the best way to describe 'Frans Fontaine' European Hornbeam. This tree naturally grows in a tight, upright habit, allowing it to fit perfectly into many basement gardens. Standing like a sentinel, this tree is the perfect model to anchor the entrance. Also, 'Frances Fontaine' excels as a bleached hedge, creating a garden room setting. Either way, you can't lose.

3. Dwarf purple willow

Salix purpurea 'Nana'

A small shrub with a soft gray-green appearance and rounded shape that dances in a relaxed, gentle breeze, dwarf purple willow is a perfect companion around the house. I've used it in a variety of settings, from a long hedge to a specimen, and no matter how I use it, this plant always outshines the other plants around it. Unlike other willows, it won't eat your house and plays well with others.

4. Little Lime Panicle Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane'

Over a million hydrangeas are some of the most proven natural plants here in the Midwest. One of the best is the Little Lime® panicle hydrangea, a shrub that will make your neighbors green with envy (pun intended). Between July and mid-August, bursts of lime green-white flowers begin to bloom on sturdy stems. Little Lime® flowers on current year's growth, so no matter how harsh the winter, you'll have beautiful blooms. Due to its small size, it is ideal for the basement garden, which fits well in many settings. Plant one or plant 50 - you can't go wrong with it.

5. ‘Montrose White’ Lesser Calamint

Calaminta nepeta 'Montrose White'

When it comes to impact, 'Montrose White' is hard to beat undermining Calamint. I am crazy about this plant! This white flowering perennial will make your basement sing from August until frost. It's home-planted in the hard, hot, dry, gravelly area of your basement garden that has claimed the lives of many plants before it. I highly recommend planting 'Montrose White' where you often walk so you can pinch the foliage and inhale the tart, minty scent. If you want to bring pollinators into your garden, look no further; The air around the flowers buzzes with excitement.