Foundation plantings are those plantings that run along the base of your house, providing the transition from home to yard. Most people choose evergreen shrubs for this, perhaps because of convention, or maybe because they are relatively low maintenance. If you really want to dress up your home, consider adding some vibrant flowers to the foundation.

Planting flowers along the base of your house is a little different than other flowerbeds, but once the initial work is done, the maintenance will be the same. When you plant the flower bed, you will want to put four complete sides on it, rather than three sides, with the back sitting directly against the house. This prevents dampness from the flowerbed from rotting the side of your house. Decide on the material that you are going to use to frame the flowerbed and then lay it out, with the back around 4 to 6 inches away from the side of the house. You will want the bed to be at least 18 inches wide, although it can be wider, depending on the size of your yard. The most common materials to use to frame the bed would be landscape timbers or rubber edging that can be pounded in the ground.

Once you have the garden laid out, you can prepare the soil. Do this by digging up and removing the top layer of sod and grass, and then mixing compost, potting soil, or fill dirt in with the soil in your flower bed to raise the soil level nearly to the top of your flower bed. Now you are ready to begin planting. For the most impact, you should pick out several varieties of flowers, some tall, some medium, and some short. You will begin by planting the tallest flowers in the back, closest to the house. Some good choices for this are the taller varieties of zinnias and cosmos, and spider flowers, which has very distinct and airy flowers. In the middle row, you will plant the medium plants, such as dahlias and poppies. In the front row should be your shortest plants, such as marigold and dusty miller. Dusty Miller does not flower, but has gorgeous foliage. If you have a little extra room at the front of your bed, you can also plant a flower to trail over the edge of the bed, such as Trailing Nasturtium or Sweet Alyssum.

Once you have the bed completed water it thoroughly. Fertilize it with an all purpose fertilizer every 6 weeks through the spring and summer and remove all of the dead foliage in the fall. This will help to prevent the spread of disease and pests in the bed next year.