Best Plants for Foundation Planting

The most common landscaping problem I see on Long Island is foundation planting that was installed without thinking about mature size. Yews and hollies planted 2 feet from a foundation, 3 feet on center, that are now 8 feet tall and touching the siding. The plants are healthy; the planting plan was.

The most common landscaping problem I see on Long Island is foundation planting that was installed without thinking about mature size. Yews and hollies planted 2 feet from a foundation, 3 feet on center, that are now 8 feet tall and touching the siding. The plants are healthy; the planting plan was wrong from day one.

Foundation planting has two jobs: frame the house architecturally (scale the building to the landscape), and conceal the exposed foundation wall. Doing both without causing a maintenance problem in 10 years requires knowing mature sizes — not tag sizes, which are often measured at 5 years.

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The First Rule: Clearance

Per Penn State Extension, the minimum clearance between a foundation planting and the building wall should be half the plant's mature width. This ensures adequate air circulation (reducing moisture-related diseases), allows access for maintenance, and prevents root systems from contacting the foundation.

A shrub that reaches 6 feet wide needs 3 feet of clearance from the wall — not 1 foot, which is what most installer teams use for aesthetic purposes.

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