flower plands close to the home boundary (flowers, concrete, planting)

[nc99]

hi, I am a new home owner, I was thinking of planting some small flowering plants along both side of the house...since it is hard to mow close to the siding , I thought if I have 1 feet of sand/mulch I can plant some small flower plants and don't have to mow that place....

Please let me know if this will have any impact on the home foundation and if it would cause any other structural damage...if it is ok, what small flower plants are good.

thanks you very much!

[North Beach Person]

Just make sure you slope the bed away from the foundation. I may be slapped around for this, but I can't think of any flowers that would impact the structure unless they grew so tall they held moisture against the siding.
I would recommend perennials (come back every year) and arrange them to flower at differing times.

[no kudzu]

They are called foundation plantings and most builders put some token planting in. Some things to remember

1- don't plant so close to the house that somebody could hide behind them- remember garden centers are called nurseries cause they generally sell small-baby- plants. Pay attention to mature growth projections

2- I would recommend some sort of evergreen small bushes. See what grows in your region, neighborhood.

3- don't plant anything that attracts alot of bees right where people will be walking into your house.

4- perennials, bulbs, irises, daylillies are all good choices.

give yourself time to properly prepare the soil before you plant anything. remember builders are notorious for throwing down excess bricks, concrete, etc where most of us want to garden. it is easier to prepare the entire bed now with nothing in it than to try to work around existing plants. test the ph of the soil.

5- don't plant anything till fall

good luck

[nc99]

Thank you very much for the tips!