Spacing Shrubs when Planting

One of my pet peeves is seeing shrubs that are going to grow up to be quite large planted right in front and up against a house. I will give you an example of what I mean.

When my husband and I bought our house a few years ago, the first thing we did was cut down the numerous bushes crammed into an area roughly 20-feet by 8-feet right in front of the house and a large picture window, which was no longer noticeable. There was a holly bush that had grown so large that it had actually damaged the overhang. Two "Christmas trees" had been planted on either side of the front porch and had grown and spread to the point that entering the front door could be hazardous to your health. I lost track of the types of cedars and cypresses and barberries that were stuck in between one of the pine trees and the holly bush. During the coarse of the clean-up, I also found various types of liriope (commonly called lilyturf). The one discovery that really got to me was a poor little azalea that had been planted right against the house and cut into a neat little square about 2-feet tall. There was no hope that this poor bush would ever bloom. (I did move the azalea into a more open area where it had room to grow into a more natural shape. I am happy to report that it blooms quite nicely every year.) The bushes were so congested and so close to the house that our realtor told us that apparently there was a mildew problem in the living room. Well, duh. Once the bushes were removed and the house was able to take a deep breath, the mildew problem vanished never to return.

This brings me to the whole issue of spacing shrubs. Fall is a great time to plant shrubs; therefore, many people may be looking for some nice-looking shrubs to plant around their house. If you are one of these, there are some things that you really must consider before digging that hole to plant that shrub. For example, how tall and how wide will that shrub grow to be? Is it going to get so big that it will hide windows and block your view to the outside world? You should, therefore, choose a planting site for shrubs based upon how large they will be when they reach maturity. If you try to force a shrub into a smaller space than its mature size can occupy, you will be spending a great deal of time and energy pruning to keep it looking good -- and small enough to fit in the space, which can actually ruin the appearance of the shrub. You will do better to buy a shrub that will not grow to be too large than trying to keep a large shrub small. Also, keep in mind that shrubs planted right at your house can block out the sun, which can -- it is true -- provide some welcome shade in the summer; however, they can also suffocate your house. Plant them away from the house (based upon how much their branches will spread outwards when they are mature) in order to allow for good air circulation.

Another issue concerning the planting and spacing of shrubs deals with planting several different shrubs together. Recognize that when they are mature, the limbs of one bush may be touching those of its neighbor. If you are planting a row of the same type of shrub, space them as far apart as the width of the shrub will be when it reaches maturity. (Shrubs that will be 5-feet-wide when mature, for example, should be spaced at least 5-feet apart.) If you are planting different types of shrubs together, figure how wide each will be when mature. Add together the widths of the two shrubs to be planted next to one another and divide by two. This is how far apart you should space them. (You can plant different shrubs a bit closer together if one is going to be rather tall and the other shorter, and you plan on planting the shorter in front of the taller shrub.)

Just use some common sense when you decide to plant shrubs around your house. You do not want to destroy (or hide) the look of your house. You also want the shrubs that you have so carefully planted to look their best.

References:

Hodgson, Larry. Perennials for Every Purpose. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Organic Living Books, 2003.

Roth, Susan A. New Complete Guide to Gardening. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Books, 1997.