Tall, low maintenance Foundation planting
cleangreen
| Posted in Mid-Atlantic Gardening on
Hello! Looking for a tall, low maintenance foundation planting for a rental property. Previous owner had some ratty rose varietal that were a thorny, neglected mess. The side of the building has no windows and is a hulking 3-story mass of baby blue stucco. I would attach a pic but 3mb limit on file size makes it really tough to post.
no vines, pls. Thanks!!
Replies
Hi! How tall are you thinking? Some shrubs that I would recommend are Nellie Stevens Holly, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Winterberry Holly, and physocarpus. These are shrubs with multi-season interest that are low-maintenance. You might also consider some small trees like redbud or crepe myrtle. You also might want check out this article for some ideas:
https://www.finegardening.com/article/foundation-friendly-plants
Thank you! Great ideas. I would like a tree but worried about the roots around the foundation.
Yes it is important not to plant too close to the foundation. You can get an idea for how far away you need to be by taking note of the mature size of the plants you are considering. Here are a few more articles that have some small tree suggestions and some basic info about foundation plantings.
https://www.finegardening.com/article/fundamentals-of-foundation-plantings
https://www.finegardening.com/article/small-trees-that-like-shade
https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/gardening-basics/rethinking-foundation-plantings