One way to increase curb appeal is to use medium-sized shrubs to cover your home’s foundation. Shrubs give your home the appearance of being “grounded” and “hugged” in the lot, and act as a great backdrop for smaller perennials, creating layers of visual interest that show off your home’s best qualities.
A well-landscaped home has a significant price advantage over a home with no landscaping. Research has shown that this advantage ranges from an approximate 5 – 12% depending on the type of landscaping and the home’s original value. That translates into an extra $16,500 to $38,100 in value on a $300,000 home. So take your home’s curb appeal seriously.
So here are some great options for foundational shrubs that stay under 5-6′ T and exhibit cold hardiness for our Seacoast region:
Boxwood
Varieties we carry and recommend are:
‘Chicagoland Green’
‘Winter Gem’
‘Tide Hill’
‘Baby Gem’
‘Green Mountain’
Inkberry Hollies
‘Shamrock’ is a highly desirable and versatile evergreen landscape shrub, can be used in the garden or for hedging, massing and topiary, takes pruning very well; small glossy leaves and a naturally dense, compact oval form. (Shown.)
‘Gem Box’ is a new dwarf, broadleaf evergreen looks more like a boxwood than an inkberry. A dense, ball-shaped plant, Gem Box ilex has small, dainty, dark green leaves with attractive red tips during the spring flush. It maintains good branching right to the ground so it never looks bare-legged like other cultivars may. Great as a small evergreen hedge.
Junipers
‘Grey Owl’ is a broad, slow-growing cultivar with a compact, wide-spreading habit which typically grows up to 3′ tall (infrequently larger) and to 6′ wide. Features scale-like, silver gray foliage. A female form which produces profuse, glaucous, berry-like cones which are attractive to birds.
‘Sea Green’ is a compact, evergreen shrub with a fountain-like, arching habit. Typically grows 4-6′ high and to 8′ wide. Features dark green foliage (may turn darker in winter) which is attractive year-round.
Viburnums:
‘Brandywine’
This is a new Viburnum has evolving phases of beauty through the seasons. It has lovely lacy flowers that become breathtaking berries that transform from green to shades of vivid pink and blue. Showy glossy leaves change to incredible dark maroon-red in autumn. Will reach about 6′ T and W, but can be pruned to desired size. Likes sun to part sun.
‘Blue Muffin’
This handsome selection of the North American native arrowwood viburnum boasts neat foliage, white spring flowers, and, if a different selection is planted nearby, the namesake blue fruits in autumn.
‘Dwarf Cranberry Bush’
Quick-covering low hedge valued for brilliant display of edible, bright red fall berries. Excellent fall color. Attractive white lace-cap flowers on a compact, upright form. Deciduous.
Weigela is a gorgeous flowering shrub with fantastic foliage and trumpet shaped flowers. Deciduous and easy care. Come is a wide selection of colors.
‘Date Night’
‘Sunnyside Up’
‘Wine and Roses’ (Shown.)
‘Sonic Bloom Red’
‘Shining Sensation’
‘Rainbow Sensation’
Spruce:
Dwarf Alberta (Shown.)
Dwarf Blue
Dwarf Serbian
Bird’s Nest
Deutzia is another gorgeous flowering shrub with delicate foliage and flowers.
‘Yuki Cherry Blossom’ (Shown.)
‘Nikko’
‘Champagne Pearls’
Mugo Pine
‘Slowmound’ is a rugged and hardy evergreen with an evenly mounded habit of finely textured, rich deep green foliage. Slow growing, compact form seldom needs pruning or maintenance. Handsome on its own or when planted en masse. (Shown.)
‘Jacobsen’ is a wonderful, new evergreen conifer from Denmark has a natural bonsai appearance with its low spreading branches forming in clumps. The dark green needles set artfully against the branching structure gives this slow-growing pine the look of venerable age and beauty. A perfect accent for low borders.
Nantucket Privet. Will grow to 10-15 tall, but you can prune it to whatever height you like.