Foundation planting help

9 years ago

We moved into this house a few years ago. The front beds were a tangle of overgrown bushes with mostly deadwood. There is a giant silver maple in the front yard. The space to the right of the porch is pretty small. We like an informal type of landscape with a mix of evergreen and deciduous.

Also, what should we do about the tree in the middle of the yard? Cut it down, keep it...? Any advice at all would be so appreciated!!

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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Concur on removing the silver maple. We had one in our own front yard when we purchased this property and I had it removed even before we moved in. They are hell to garden under.

I think that is a really lovely home in a beautiful setting but that tree is like a giant growth on someone's face- try as you might you can't stop seeing it and it distracts from everything else. And that's only aside from the future problems you are almost sure to have.

If cost is a factor you can have it felled, the brush removed, and the rest cut into rounds then offer it as free firewood on craigslist. 'Tis the season and the guys with trucks will show up asap. As much as maple is not my preferred wood (it burns hot and fast) if it is free you will find takers.

Also be aware than no matter how deeply they grind the stump and how much new topsoil they put on top of the hole there is much left underground that will decay over the years and at some point you will see small sinking areas as the soil caves in. It's not a big deal- you just fill them back up, but if you are not aware that it is going to happen it can surprise you.

And a tiny suggestion- the phrase "foundation planting" sort of makes my toes curl as it implies a row of shrubs crammed up against the house which is exactly what you don't want. Keep things well away from the house and out from under the eaves so you can walk behind them to service the home and everything can receive natural rainfall. The plans like Yardvaark gave you are, to me anyway, more "front beds" than "foundation plantings." A tiny (and perhaps unnecessary to some) distinction but in the interest of being clear it's a difference I think is important.

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Comments (7)

Heather Charnock
Original Author
9 years ago
We live in southeast Michigan.
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Yardvaark
9 years ago
I know it's something you don't want to hear, but I'd go ahead and get rid of the silver maple. I know these well from personally living with with them in my young life. They are trashy, weak trees, always dropping dead material, seeds, flowers. They're subject to breaking in a storm and causing damage. And their habit is to start dying slowly in large chunks during their middle age. That yours is so close to the house, I'd bite the bullet asap, move on and not look back. I favor small trees close to the house as they're so much more manageable and less destructive. My sketch advice is not a recommendation for specific plants, but a way of arranging plants, and plausible shapes and sizes. It is groundcover knitting the collection of plants together at ground level, and seasonal color at the steps. The purple things could be a shrub but are more likely perennials. They do not have to match. You'll be picking plants based on the conditions available, and the light could be different in each of those spots.
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Yardvaark
9 years ago
Cearbhaill, I agree with you about the term "foundation planting" being inaccurate and probably to some, misleading. Maybe in days gone by, when many houses seemed to be built on tall, less-than-handsome foundations, the term made more sense. Today, many houses have lots of architectural details that go close to the ground. Hopefully, someday, someone will come up with a better term.
Heather Charnock
Original Author
9 years ago
I appreciate all of this advice so much. My husband had wanted to get that tree taken down for some time now. We had one of the tree companies discourage us from it so I came looking for advice here. The tree is already half dead and drops large limbs all the time! It drives us nuts.

Yaardvark, the image of the home without the tree was extremely helpful! I've been unable to envision it myself. Do you have any ideas how to fill that area to the right of our porch? It's probably 3 feet wide and six feet deep. It needs to cover a gas meter. We need something that we can keep trimmed and. doesn't protrude into the driveway as our drive is very narrow.

Cearbhaill, the idea to put the wood on Craigslist or such is a great one! We had not thought of that yet. We've had several bids to get the tree down and they range from $1200 leaving all the wood to $2200. As far as calling it foundation plantings, I agree it's a terrible term and not what we're looking for at all. I didn't want to call it landscaping as that is such a broad term!
Heather Charnock
Original Author
9 years ago
The home is east facing and gets morning sun and evening shade. Zone 6.
l pinkmountain
9 years ago
I'm a tree hugger, but that one in the middle of the yard is just a problem. Think of it this way. If you cut it down, the other tree on the left side of your house, (looking at it in the photo) will get more sun and have a chance to grow faster and bigger. If you have a fireplace or fire pit in the backyard you can get some cozy fires out of it come fall.