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Writer's pictureJennifer Anderson

Foundation Gardening with Natives: Tips and Tricks


Foundation Gardening
Judy Mercer, of Marion, talks about her garden, along and beyond her foundation.

Marion resident Judy Mercer started a mostly native garden around her home’s foundation when she moved here three years ago.


First came Coneflowers--and a quick lesson in pest management. A sprinkling of diatomaceous earth stopped an earwig infestation allowing the plants to thrive.  “The bees are much happier now,” she says.


She then added Black-eyed Susans and “absolutely fell in love with Anise Hyssop,” she says.  “They’re pretty, and the pollinators love them!” 


Mercer’s garden is about 2 feet deep and composed almost entirely of perennials, or wildflowers.


A next step might be to pull the perennials forward and add shrubs.  


Clethra alnifolia
Summersweet works well on a shady side

“I really, really like three layers of shrubs, and then the perennial layer,” says designer Demetra Tseckares, owner of Gardens by Demetra, a landscaping service focusing on native plants.  


Tseckares advises homeowners to go bold with their foundation plantings, and to circle the entire house.   “If you’re feeling like you’re supposed to be following a rule, you’re probably not going big enough,” she says.


A rule of her thumb: If the height from the ground to the top of the window is seven feet, then plant your garden seven feet from the edge of the house out.


What To Plant


Myrica pensylvanica
Northern Bayberry adds a "beachy touch"

The best plants are going to thrive in the sun and soil conditions where they’re planted.  Beyond that, the best plants are the ones you love.


On a shady side, Designer Sally Johnson likes to pair the deliciously fragrant Summersweet with Northern Bayberry, which she says adds to the vertical interest and a “beachy touch.”


Her other go-tos for shade include Hobblebush, which grows naturally in moist woods and is highly shade tolerant, and the slightly shorter Maple-leaved Viburnum. 


These viburnums are beautiful year-round with spring blooms, fall foliage and lovely branching for winter interest.  They also produce fall berries that songbirds depend on as they migrate south.


Other Shade Lovers



Staphylea trifolia
Bladdernut thrives in full to part shade

Bladdernut is a large (10- to 15-foot) shrub with white, bell-shaped spring blooms and papery seed capsules that often are used in dried flower arrangements.


Round-leaf Dogwood thrives in dappled shade or areas with just a bit of sunlight.  It likes medium soil and grows generally upright, sometimes to 10 feet.  


Witch Hazel and Pagoda Dogwood also are good choices for part shade.


For a groundcover, try Wintergreen, an evergreen that likes part to full shade and with leaves that turn purplish-bronze in winter.  Its summer blooms are white and pink, and red berries persist in the fall.


Here Comes the Sun

Ceanothus americanus
New Jersey Tea loves sun

On a sunnier side Johnson, of eCoastal Design, might place New Jersey Tea with either


These two viburnums tend to grow more upright, and they also have flowers and fall berries.  Viburnums, by and large, are not self fertile and need a partner for fruit.


For a formal, evergreen look around the foundation, Inkberry is a stand out–although Johnson points out that deciduous shrubs like Sweet Fern can look beautiful in the winter with their dense branching.


“You can also put Christmas lights on it,” she says.


Anchor Trees



Cercis canadensis spring blooms
Redbud in spring

Try small trees like Beach Plum and Redbud on either side of clusters of Northern Bayberry and Virginia Rose, says Heather McCargo in the Webinar, The Beauty and Benefits of Hedgerows.  


Alternately, try Red Chokeberry and Steeplebush in between the trees.


For Tseckares, of Gardens by Demetra, Fothergilla is practically a must-have for sunny gardens and excellent fall foliage.  It’s a southern species but hardy in New England.


Amelanchier canadensis
Serviceberry and other small trees for corners

She also likes vertical accents at the corners, like Red Chokeberry and Serviceberry, which also tolerates part shade.  


On a southwest corner she might place a Sugar Maple to pull the garden further from the house.


Tips


The Entrance


Andropogon gerardii
Big Bluestem mades a great vertical at the entryway

Tall shrubs like Winterberry and even tall grasses like Switchgrass and Big Bluestem can add vertical interest on either side of a doorway.


Remember the herbaceous layer


Combinations of White Wood Aster, Canada anemone, Woodland Stonecrop and Christmas Fern fill in shady areas nicely.


For a moist sunny area try combinations of New York Ironweed, Boneset, New York Aster, Cardinal Flower and White Doll’s Daisy.


Size


Mature plants also should allow space between them and the house, which should minimize moisture and mold collecting on the siding.  


“People tend to over plant,” Johnson explains, advising bulbs in between newly planted shrubs as filler until the shrubs mature.  

Rosa virginiana
Virginia Rose, beautiful and thorny

Roses


Yes, they’re thorny.  But once they grow in, Johnson explains, native roses tend to be so dense that weeding is not necessary, just an annual pruning with heavy gloves.  Their red stems are standouts in winter, and they can handle extreme heat with no additional watering.   

 

About the author:


Jennifer Anderson owns Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and plant nursery in Rochester, Mass. A former news reporter, she loves to talk native plants and can be reached at jennifer@treetalknatives.com.



 

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