How to Make a Flower Bed Near the Foundation of a House

Flowerbeds add a splash of color around your home.

Flowerbeds in front of the foundation of a house give your home a warm, inviting feeling. Many homes, both modern and older, have planting beds around the perimeter of the home. The practice sprang from a need to hide the ugly foundations of older homes, but modern homes no longer have unsightly foundations to hide. Now it’s feasible to have a bed of annuals and perennials near the foundation of your home for added beauty in your landscape.

Things You'll Need

• Compost
• Rake
• Spade
• Flower transplants or seeds

Instructions

1. Rake all of the rocks out of the target area and break up any large chunks of soil. Add 5 to 6 inches of compost to the surface of the soil and work it into a depth of 10 to 12 inches.

2. Select the flowers you want to place in your flowerbed. Choose tall plants, such as irises, yarrow or hollyhocks, for the back of the bed — right against the house. In the middle of the flowerbed, plant flowers that grow to medium heights with mounding habits: hostas, day lilies and coneflowers Plant the smallest flowers in the front of the bed. Examples are marigolds, violas and snapdragons.

3. Dig holes for the flowers you want to plant. Dig a hole as deep as the flower’s root ball and twice as wide. Place the flower in the hole and fill the hole with soil. For seeds, sprinkle them at a frequency of two or three every 8 to 10 inches and cover them with 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of soil.

4. Water the seeds or flowers well for five to 10 minutes.

References

• Cornell University: Flower Garden Design Basics
• University of Minnesota: Designing and Preparing a Perennial Bed