Foundation Planting

[Noble]

All my foundation plantings had to be removed for repairs to front of house. Live in duplex subdivision, Harrisonburg, VA. Front of house has taupe colored James Hardie shingles with white trim. When facing the house, on the left is a raised (c. 30" ht) 6' square covered porch with white railing and 2 steps down to ground level. The porch and steps are concrete aggregate (spelling). On the right side of the front is a large double window, approximately 3' from end.

Facing house, beginning at left: 2' shingled space, 6' porch, 10' shingled space, 6' double window, 3' shingled space (measurements not exact, as total width of duplex is 28'. the additional foot is probably between the window and the stoop). Face southwest, getting full afternoon sun. Depth of front yard is approximately 40'. Width of yard is approximately 45'. A driveway is on the left side and is about 33' long. From the left edge of the house to the property line is about 17'.

Am wide open to design suggestions/plantings, although prefer low maintenance plantings due to my health. Look forward to your response.

[lorijones]

Are you just looking for foundation plantings or to landscape the whole front yard? You may want to have a professional come in to give you suggestions on a design, if you are wanting to redo the whole area. If you are just looking for foundation plantings, are you interested in shrubs (evergreen or deciduous) or perennials or a mixture of both? How low to the ground are the bottoms of the windows? You don't want to block them with shrubs so you would need some dwarf varieties. Without knowing a little more information, it is difficult to answer your question. The folks at Village Garden Center in Fishersville (540-887-1226) have an excellent landscaping division and they can evaluate your situation and advise you on a solution.