Foundation Planting That Works

Foundation planting is a term that started when many homes were pier-and-beam construction and homeowners needed landscaping to hide that visual distraction. It refers to the plantings—usually bushes—that are arranged up close to the house. However, these plantings can be an elegant part of your Houston landscape. Foundation planting doesn’t need to be a grim grouping of bushes hugging the house.

As mentioned, bush planting is the most common choice for foundational plantings, but other selections are appropriate—even luscious. For instance, we can create interest in your landscape master plan by incorporating layers into the garden beds, with taller plants along the back and moving forward with shorter and shorter plants down to groundcover. Small, flowering trees also add height and color.

In all foundational plantings, we are cognizant of yard drainage, an issue of particular importance with Houston’s terrain and weather. Since you always want water to flow away from the house, one method to consider around the foundation is the raised bed. Your plants will love it because it helps keep their “feet” dry.

At Exterior Worlds, we recommend that the best place to start in planting gardens of any type or location is to plan first. We can choreograph the layout on paper to best determine how much to plant and where. We want to take a thoughtful approach to your landscape design, including foundation planting, that truly enhances your home.

The pre-planting planning session is particularly helpful if you use a landscape phasing approach to your landscape design. Landscape phasing lets you add elements over time, sometimes during the course of several years, using incremental steps with the more expensive undertakings spaced out to help manage your cash outlay. When we use landscape phasing, we usually do greenscapes first which allows the most time for plants to develop to their mature shape and size.

During the planning process, we are careful to incorporate the architecture of your home. If your home is formal and symmetrical, such as a Federal, Georgian or Colonial Revival, then we employ formal aspects in the landscape design—perhaps neatly trimmed shrubs at the front door. As another example, a contemporary home could benefit from a more organic approach.

We always think in terms of plants at their mature size and scale. It is a common mistake of the amateur gardener to forget to take into account a plant’s ultimate size. Making the right choice in this area helps keep pruning to a minimum. We also consider the features of the surrounding area because we want to design foundational plantings that are appropriate for the entire site. These elements include the sidewalks, driveway, streets, adjacent bayous and woodlands, large trees, fences and hedges.

Exterior Worlds uses the most current landscape techniques to give your foundation planting the look of a professional landscape. We create luxurious, highly personalized signature designs in which green plantings are unified with the home. From the curb to the front door, your property conveys a warm and welcoming impression.