Doug Hall
Better Homes and Gardens
November 1999

Priscilla and Ken Twombly's 15-year-old foundation plantings were due for a change. The Twombly's removed a few evergreen shrubs, pruned back others, then filled the resulting gaps with evergreens chosen for their colorful foliage. To get everything just right, the couple arranged and rearranged the plants in pots (left) before digging any holes. Their new front garden displays cheery color in all four seasons. Here are a few of the shrubs they planted.

	Cornus sanguinea Winter Beauty, an orange-twigged dogwood, is not evergreen, but its slender twigs look great even after the leaves drop. Pruning out a few of the older limbs every spring has two benefits: It keeps the plants compact and promotes more of the colorful stems.
	Thuja occidentalis Sunkist, to temporarily fill a gap in the landscape. In a few years, when its neighboring plants have filled in, he'll move this conical, golden arborvitae to another location.
	Pinus mugo Aurea, flaunts its gold, fuddy-tipped needles best in full sun but still manages a respectable show in partial shade. A semidwarf pine, it grows about 3 feet tall and wide.
	Tsuga canadensis Cole's Prostate, A survivor form the previous landscape, this shrub is a slow-growing, ground-hugging hemlock.
	Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Pendula, a large weeping Alaskan cedar frames the corner of the house. The branches of this evergreen droop in a relaxed manner.
	Microbiota decussata is a super-hardy low-spreading evergreen for sun or shade. Cold weather turns the foliage bronzy-purple. Come spring, it brightens up to grass green.

The Twomblys have more than a passing interest in plants. Their house is on the grounds of Twombly Nursery, their family business in Monroe, Connecticut. Priscilla and Ken advocate landscaping with a mix of plants for textural contrast: evergreens, both the needle-leafed and broad-leafed types as well as deciduous shrubs and ground covers. "I use colored evergreens for winter interest," Ken says. "And I like to plant in masses, not odds and ends." There's no room here for ho-hum shrubs. As Priscilla puts it, "Why have boring plants just because it's a foundation planting?"