What type of plants are best around a foundation of a house?

They would need to be hardy to zone 6 (lower NY State). I am trying to achieve a backdrop of plants that do not shed their leaves in the winter so they can block the foundation, which happens to show 3 feet of itself. In front of these plants, I have some perenialls in mind. FYI, the planting beds are 8-10' deep and in part to full shade. I can't think of any other information, except that my house is red and I love interesting leaves and azaleas. Thank you so much for helping.

What type of plants are best around a foundation of a house?
Basically you're looking for "facer plants" that conceal the lower extremities of landscape elements, %26amp; visually anchor taller elements to the ground.


I found some nice examples %26amp; info here:


http://www.northscaping.com/InfoZone/IS-...





You can use dwarf conifers like dwarf mugo pine, nest spruce or globe cedars, spreading junipers, compact spireas, dwarf boxwood or globe caragana, false spirea, potentilla, Japanese barberry.





There are golden %26amp; variegated conifers: Pinus densiflora Oculus draconis makes a spectacular sight with its horizontal banding of yellow and green.


Arborvitae: Thuja occidentalis Sherwood Frost is a beautiful slow growing cultivar with a dusting of white that becomes more prevalent in late summer and fall. Thuja plicata Zebrina has stunning variegation of gold and green, but unfortunately does not color well in heat.





Mahonia (Oregon hollygrape) has Holly-like leaves, brilliant yellow flower trusses, blue-black fruit, and bronzy winter color place Mahonia in the limelight each season. Be careful, this native evergreen spreads (in moist soil) to form broad colonies.


This Better Homes %26amp; Garden site gives pictures %26amp; descriptions of more flowering shrubs:


http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid...





Dwarf Red Hardy Azalea is the hardiest of evergreen Azaleas. It brings life to shady spots year-round, with vivid, rose-crimson flowers for weeks in early spring and bright red foliage all winter. It grows 2-3' high with similar spread:


http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp...





Ground covers: Euonymus Emerald 'n Gold (green and yellow variegation), and Emerald Gaiety (white and gold variegation) These semi upright spreaders make large mats of evergreen color.





Plant the facer plants first, followed by those that lose their leaves in front of them, then the perennials such as: coralbell, hostas, lady’s mantle, artemisia, blanketflower, daylilies, sedum, ornamental grasses %26amp; ferns





Good luck! Hope this is helpful.
Reply:Rotodendron is good, how deep are the eaves on the roof, some ranch houses have eaves that keep rain away from the foundation. Good for the house, but I've seen places where only prickly pear will grow.
Reply:Just remeber not to plant the shrubs close to the house. You need a clear area around the foundation so that you can do house repair, painting, cleaning windows etc. Plant based on the full grown size of the plant. Look at the neighbors to see what works. Do not put arborvite or other tall evergreens in front of a window. Azalea are perfect. If you learn to soft cut after blooming they will always look great. I like white azalea with a red house. Be careful with mugo pine. Some are not really dwarf and they like sun.
Reply:In back of my fountain (full shade), I tried to use large leafed plants to give a jungle leaf back ground. I have hostas %26amp; rhubarb with some long-thin leafed day lilies. None of these stay tall during the winter (Zone 4). My neighbor has several perennial ferns in shade of their house. In front of them were flowering plants. May not be the help you wanted but may give you ideas.

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