What can i plant around my house foundation?

Round-shaped plants

• Abelia Abelia ‘Edward Goucher’ …
• Boxwood Buxus ‘Green Velvet’ …
• Brownii yew Taxus x media ‘Brownii’ …
• Dwarf blue spruce Picea pungens ‘Globosa’ …
• Dwarf fothergilla Fothergilla gardenii. …
• Dwarf Korean lilac Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ …
• Smooth leaf hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

What should you not plant near a foundation?

Hard-wood trees should be planted no closer than 20 feet from the house. Soft-wood trees should be planted even further. If a tree matures and becomes large, the distance should be about 50 feet from each other. Smaller trees should not be planted closer than eight feet from the foundation of the house.

What do you put around foundation?

Soils with good drainage are the best kind to cover with decorative gravel around building foundations. The soil, however, always must slope away from the foundation to ensure proper drainage, a minimum of 6 inches of drop for the 10 feet adjacent to the building is necessary.

What should be beside house foundation?

Sidewalks, concrete patios, and driveways should be strategically placed around the foundation of your home. While patios are generally installed on a nearly flat plane, make sure you have a plan for directing water away from your foundation.

Should you plant around foundation?

Evergreen shrubs planted along a house wall can reduce heating costs by creating an insulating dead air space around a home’s foundation. For, even if just a few inches of concrete foundation are exposed, that is a potential route for cold air to enter your house.

Can shrub roots damage foundation?

All trees, shrubs and plants can essentially cause problems to a home’s foundation, structure or plumbing system. However, certain types of trees, shrubs and bushes, like the ones listed above, are more likely to cause damage because of their flexible, shallow or large root systems.

How do you landscape a house foundation?

Checklist for Landscaping Around House Foundations

1. Plant trees away from the foundation. …
2. Make sure you leave some of the foundation exposed. …
3. Watch out for drains or outlets. …
4. Improve your gutter system. …
5. Mulch your flower beds. …
6. Make sure flower beds slope away from your foundation. …
7. Water evenly in non-landscape areas.

How do landscapers keep water away from foundation?

7 Landscaping Tips That Can Help Keep Water Out of Your Basement

1. Plant a Rain Garden. …
2. Allow Native Plants to Thrive. …
3. It’s All in the Grade. …
4. Trenches and French Drains. …
5. Keep Your Gutters Clean. …
6. Check Downspouts. …
7. Install Rain Barrels.

Should I put rocks around my foundation?

Gravel Beds Help To Prevent Overgrown Weeds

Having gravel beds around the foundations of your house is one of the most cost-effective methods of preventing overgrown weeds and shrubs, and possibly soil mounds, from infiltrating the building.

What dirt do you put around foundation?

This soil should be dense- preferably clay soil. Adding sand and mulch will drain water straight through and around your foundation, ultimately making the foundation water problem worse. It’s also important to make sure that the soil does not reach up to the siding.

Can you put mulch around your house?

Adding a layer of mulch around your home has a few different benefits: Preventing weeds. A layer of mulch a few inches deep can help repress weed growth. Some homeowners use a layer of landscaping fabric or plastic for an added barrier against unwanted weeds.

Can you plant grass up to foundation?

You can definitely grow grass right up to the foundation – it won’t harm your house in any way.

Is it good to put mulch around your house?

Mulching the areas around your house will increase the moisture content of the soil, which will create a more comfortable habitat for your local termites. … Mulching is really effective at blocking weeds and conserving moisture for many plants. Too much mulch is not a good thing!

Do hydrangeas make good foundation plants?

Hydrangeas as Foundation Plants

Low-maintenance hydrangeas make good foundation plants, with showy flowers that are easily seen even from a distance. … Choose hydrangeas that won’t outgrow your space and consider the exposure before you plant.

What shrubs look good in front of house?

Best Shrubs To Plant In Front Of The House

1. Boxwood. One of the most common foundation shrubs is the boxwood because it’s easy to shape with some hedge trimmers. …
2. Roses. This classic bush comes in a bunch of different shapes and sizes. …
3. Hydrangea. …
4. 4. Japanese Maple. …
5. Juniper. …
6. Dogwood. …
7. Elderberry. …
8. Dwarf Lilac.

How do I landscape around my house?

12 simple front yard landscaping ideas that can add serious curb appeal

1. Add rock features. …
2. Add lighting. …
3. Upgrade a bed border. …
4. Plant ground cover to hide unsightly areas. …
5. Plant perennial shrubs in front of your house. …
6. Make a garden bed around your mailbox. …
7. Haul out old mulch and refresh. …
8. Build a flower bed around a tree.

What can you plant near sewer pipes?

The best trees to plant around your sewerage system include shallow-rooted trees and shrubs:

• Cherry trees.
• Japanese maple trees are among one of the few maple trees that are likely to cause less damage.
• Eastern redbud trees.
• Dogwood trees.
• Holly shrubs.
• Boxwood shrubs.

How do I keep roots from growing in my sewer lines?

Using The Right Chemicals

One thing you can do is to spread copper sulfate (aka rock salt) and potassium hydroxide on the ground where your sewer lines are located. These chemicals inhibit the growth of tree roots and discourage them from straying near your pipes.

Can I plant a rose bush next to my house?

Roses are more susceptible to fungal diseases if there isn’t adequate air circulation surrounding them, so plant the roses with adequate space between it and the foundation, and allow space between it and other plantings as well.

How can I protect my home foundation from water?

Proper drainage is the best way to keep water away from your home’s foundation. Install a French drain system around the house foundation – Dig a trench around the foundation, line it with gravel, and place a drain with perforations in it to pull the water away. Cover the drain with gravel and add soil over it.

Should you mulch around foundation?

Keep wood mulch six inches from the foundation or perimeter of your home. Close up the space between the exterior walls and flowerbeds using gravel. By doing so, you’ll make it harder for termites to invade your home while keeping an eye out for their mud tubes.

Should I put mulch or rock around my house?

But when is rock a good choice? If you have drainage issues on your property, rock is a great mulch choice, allowing water to drain quickly. If you have open bed areas without plants, rock is an easy, no maintenance option. Rocks are great for high-traffic areas, where pedestrians tend to take short cuts.

Does mulch keep water away from foundation?

Mulch Problems Can Lead to Basement Water

But what some people don’t realize is that when you pack mulch up and around your foundation, you could be setting up a moisture wick. Solve this problem by always maintaining 4-6 inches of space between your home’s foundation and any mulch surrounding it.

How do you make drainage around foundation?

1. What are the required materials for proper foundation drainage?
2. Step 1: Dig the trench.
3. Step 2: Create a proper slope.
4. Step 3: Level the soil.
5. Step 4: Add geotextile and gravel.
6. Step 5: Place the pipe.
7. Step 6: Finish.

Should I put river rock around my house?

River rock is a great solution for a low-maintenance, quality appearance. Since it is durable and long-lasting, river rock doesn’t need to be replaced. It serves as a great decorative aspect to your project and will stand the test of time and weather.

What is the best material to backfill a foundation?

Stone or gravel is the easiest material to use to ensure proper support. Don’t forget, in a home with a basement, you will need eight to nine feet of fill up next to the house foundation in an attached garage. It will be difficult to make sure this is compacted properly without using stone or gravel.

How much dirt should be around your foundation?

Soil Grading Around Your Home

Ideally, the ground should drop one inch for every one foot that you move away from the house for the first 5-to-10 feet around your house. While this is not always possible, the ground should never be sloping upwards as you move away from your house foundation.

What should I put between mulch and foundation?

If you want to use any type of mulch around the foundation of your home, it is best to place a layer of bricks or stones between the home’s foundation and the mulch to keep the two from making contact.

What mulch does not attract termites?

The five best mulches to avoid termites in your yard or garden are cedar mulch, cypress heartwood mulch, and melaleuca mulch, licorice root mulch, and redwood mulch. Cedar wood mulch, cypress heartwood mulch, and melaleuca mulch are hardwood mulches, and they last longer than any other mulches.

What kind of mulch should I use around my house?

Pine straw is the most commonly used mulch that is lowest in cellulose, and it is a good choice for foundation plantings. Mulches that are not plant-based, such as rubber mulches, gravel and rocks, are, of course, not consumed by termites.

Can you put a garden against your house?

Garden beds against your house allow you to add plants that complement your home design. You can create a planting bed, instead of simply planting flowers directly into the ground, to gain greater control over weeds and grass encroachment.

Can you plant hydrangeas close to your house?

Well-suited for USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9, a hydrangea in front-of-house facades, along the front porch or as borders to flower beds brings a wealth of color from spring through fall in much of the country.

Is it good to have bushes around your house?

Avoid planting shrubs too close to your home, not just because plants will come into contact with and damage the siding, but because shrubs retain moisture.

Should you remove old mulch every year?

So, should you remove old mulch? Expert green thumbs contend that getting rid of last year’s mulch is completely unnecessary. Mulch gradually breaks down, adding beneficial nutrients and other organic matter to the soil. Removing pre-existing mulch every year only ends up to be extra work and a needless expense.

How far should mulch be from house?

Consider Fire Safety

Keep flammable mulches, including wood or bark, at least 3 to 5 feet away from the house when possible. Gravel or colored rocks work as a ground cover near the house without being a fire risk. Organic mulch that is deeper than 2 inches may be more difficult to put out if a fire does reach the area.

What can you use besides mulch?

7 alternatives to traditional mulch

• Bark and wood chips. Frequently used on flower beds and around small bushes and shrubs, bark and wood chips are known to provide nutrients to the soil as they decay. …
• Pebbles and rocks. …
• Leaves and pine needles. …
• Grass clippings. …
• Rubber mulch. …
• Compost. …
• Newspaper.

Are azaleas good foundation plants?

Azaleas are slow growing, many of them, save some of the larger deciduous natives, make good candidates for foundation plantings. By following a few simple rules, it is easy to design effectively with azaleas. Azaleas can be planted as specimens or in groups.

What plants compliment hydrangeas?

Azaleas, hollies, yews, mahonia, gardenia, loropetalum and boxwood shrubs will look good planted in front of hydrangeas. Azaleas blossoms will provide early color. You can select your favorite blossom color since the azalea blooms will have faded before your hydrangea is flowering.

How do you plant against a house?

You should always leave a foot of open space around the foundation to prevent moisture build up that can lead to mold and damaging dampness (and to avoid giving insects like carpenter ants and termites direct access to your home). Distance is good for the health of the house—and the plants.