A well-planned foundation border can take your curb appeal from meh to magnificent. Wondering what plants will work best in garden beds up against your home? While there are endless shrubs and small trees to consider, here are some of our favorites:

Specimen trees

• ‘Meteor’ cherry
• ‘Royal Gem’ crabapple
• ‘Ann’ magnolia
• ‘Regent’ serviceberry

Large shrubs (over 5 feet)

• ‘Techny’ arborvitae
• Forever Goldy arborvitae (Thuja plicata ‘4EVER’, zone 5)
• ‘Moonglow’ juniper, hydrangea varieties, Japanese upright yew, ‘Medora’ juniper, Blue Muffin® viburnum

Medium shrubs (3 to 5 feet)

• ‘Polka’ weigela
• Potentilla varieties
• Spiraea varieties
• Summer Wine® ninebark
• Dwarf Blue Globe spruce (Picea pungens ‘Globosa’)
• ‘Sea Green’ juniper
• ‘Wintergreen’ boxwood
• ‘Shamrock’ holly
• ‘Garden Glow’ dogwood
• ‘Golden Globe’ arborvitae
• yew varieties
• ‘Sherwood Compact’ mugo pine

Small shrubs (under 3 feet)

• ‘Miniature Snowflake’ mockorange
• ‘Slowmound’ mugo pine
• Galaxy™ snowberry
• ‘Little Giant’ dwarf arborvitae
• Spiraea varieties
• ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood

Read full article about designing a strong foundation planting in the Fall 2024 issue of Northern Gardener® magazine.

Eric Johnson is a longtime contributor to Northern Gardener® magazine, blogger and lifelong gardener based in Roseville, Minn. gardendrama.com

Photo credit: Eric Johnson. Featured image: Garden Glow Dogwood (Cornus hesseyii) planted next to a home foundation.