Evergreen foundation kit

Evergreen Bones.

Green in January. Neat in July.

Round arborvitae balls, a red-tipped arborvitae, a gold juniper and a blue one that creeps along the edge. It's the structure that keeps the front of the house looking finished in every season, with no shearing schedule.

10 plants · 4 kinds16 ft along the houseFull sun to part shade
$714.90
Same price as buying them one by one. The plan's on us.
Evergreen Bones
What it looks like

Year two. Then you brag.

Year two, mid-July. Each plant drawn at its full size.

1 ft23141 ft2314
  1. 1Bowling Ball × 32–2.5 ft tall and wide
  2. 2Fire Chief × 22–3 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide
  3. 3Gold juniper × 23–4 ft tall, 5–6 ft wide
  4. 4Creeping juniper 'Blue Rug' × 34–8 in. tall, 4–6 ft wide
What's in the box

10 plants, 4 jobs.

$251.97
In this kit: The round ones
Thuja occidentalis

Arborvitae

A perfect ball, no shearing required.

Round by nature. Soft, lacy, bright green foliage that grows into a near-perfect globe without any shearing. It stays small enough for a pot, a walkway or the front of a foundation bed.

Size2–2.5 ft tall and wideShowNo flowers; evergreen Lightfull, partZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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In this kit: The round ones
Thuja occidentalis 'Anna van Vloten'

Arborvitae

A golden ball. No shears required.

Gold, round, and done. Soft, lemon-gold sprays that grow into a tidy ball on their own, holding color through the year. It stays small enough for a pot by the door or a low foundation row.

Size2–3 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowEvergreen; foliage year-round Lightfull, partZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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$137.98
In this kit: Red-tipped corners
Thuja occidentalis 'Congabe'

Globe Arborvitae

Gold globe with red tips in winter.

Gold with a red-tipped glow. A dense, rounded dwarf with gold foliage that's tipped red on new growth, and turns deeper burgundy-red in winter. It stays small and round with no shearing.

Size2–3 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowEvergreen; foliage year-round Lightfull, partZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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In this kit: Red-tipped corners
Thuja occidentalis 'Anna van Vloten'

Arborvitae

A golden ball. No shears required.

Gold, round, and done. Soft, lemon-gold sprays that grow into a tidy ball on their own, holding color through the year. It stays small enough for a pot by the door or a low foundation row.

Size2–3 ft tall, 2–3 ft wideShowEvergreen; foliage year-round Lightfull, partZones3–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWatermoderate
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$129.98
In this kit: Gold glow
Juniperus chinensis

Chinese Juniper

Golden evergreen that skips the winter blues.

Gold that holds all winter. Bright golden-yellow foliage on a spreading, layered evergreen that keeps its color through winter. Lacy texture without the scratchiness of many junipers.

Size3–4 ft tall, 5–6 ft wideShowNo flowers; evergreen LightfullZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Gold glow
Juniperus chinensis

Chinese Juniper

Gold all year. Better in cold.

Lacy gold, all twelve months. Soft, lacy sprays tipped bright gold that keep their color through summer and deepen in cold weather. It forms a low, spreading mound that looks good massed on a slope.

Size3–4 ft tall, 3–4 ft wideShowEvergreen; foliage year-round LightfullZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$194.97
In this kit: Blue edge
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'

Creeping Juniper

Blue Rug. It's literally a rug.

A blue rug, literally. The classic Blue Rug juniper: flat, trailing branches of silver-blue foliage that hug the ground and spread into a dense evergreen mat. In winter it takes on a plum tint.

Size4–8 in. tall, 4–6 ft wideShowEvergreen foliage year-round LightfullZones3–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Blue edge
Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'

Shore Juniper

Evergreen carpet. Salt and heat don't faze it.

Soft blue evergreen carpet. Low, trailing branches of soft, blue-green needles that spread into a dense evergreen mat. It handles heat, salt spray and sandy soil, and spills nicely over walls and walk edges.

Size6–12 in. tall, 4–6 ft wideShowEvergreen foliage year-round LightfullZones6–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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The whole kit: 10 plants + the planting planEvery plant picked for your zone. Arrives alive, or we replace it.
The planting plan

Dig here. Then here.

16 ft along the houseFull sun to part shadeTap a plant for the details
Back · tallFront · low
↓ Front edge · path, lawn or walk
  1. 1Lay it outSet the pots on the soil to match the plan before you dig. Step back, nudge, then commit.
  2. 2Dig and dropEach hole twice as wide as the pot, just as deep. Crown level with the soil. Firm it in.
  3. 3Soak itWater deeply today, then weekly for a month. After that, mostly leave it alone.
Why it's laid out like this

Bowling Balls evenly spaced along the back, Fire Chief at the corners, gold juniper between them, creeping juniper along the front. Plant 3 ft from the foundation and water deeply the first fall.

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The Sunday Tip · every Sunday

One good plant idea,
every Sunday.

What to plant this week in your zone, every Sunday. New ways to plant and odd tricks that actually work.