Plants — or maybe not — for a front garden

Q: Do you have suggestions for foundation plants for the west-facing front of our suburban tract house? The azaleas and rhodies planted by the developer have succumbed to the heat, I think. Our front window is only three feet from the ground. I would like to improve the view as I look out, and make our front garden more inviting from the street. Thank you for any ideas — specific plants or general thoughts on front gardens would be welcome.

A: Why is it that developers always seem to plant azaleas and rhodies in front of windows they'll grow up to cover? That is, if they live long enough in the dry soil and reflected heat. Since most houses have overhangs, the space occupied by foundation plantings is often a plant graveyard, for we forget that in the winter anything planted beneath the eaves needs watering.

There's really no need to smother the house in plants. You might think about pulling the foundation plantings away from the house to create a hedge close to the property line. This gives you a more private front garden, and the hedge forms a handsome backdrop for beds and borders.

Not every landscape problem needs to be solved with plants. You might want to fill that space near the house with smooth, black Japanese stones, river rock or pavers for a no-maintenance skirting. You could add a pot or two of flowers for summer color.

If you do replant close to the house, consider putting in a durable little hedge of lavender or a mass of rugosa roses. Rosa 'Purple Pavement' tops out at 3 feet with fragrant, violet flowers. For a more casual, cottage look, you could plant a mix of euphorbia, heat-loving perennials like yarrow and coneflowers, and evergreen ornamental grasses such as the blue-toned Carex glauca or the bronze Carex comans. With any such planting scheme, be sure to dig in plenty of compost to improve the soil, and remember to water the dry zone beneath the eaves year-round.

Q: Where can I buy ... ?

A: Since it's May, I'm asked this question dozens of times a week, and I'm sorry I can't answer each of you personally. Much as I'd like to spend all my time cruising nurseries in search of plants, even that full-time occupation wouldn't provide accurate answers, because nursery stock changes constantly. Here are some general tips on finding plants:

• Visit the best and largest area nurseries often enough to get an idea of what they specialize in and, even better, to get to know the more knowledgeable employees. When you're looking for a specific plant, call around to various nurseries.

• Most of the plants you read about in newspapers and magazines are the hot, new ones. If just introduced, they may well not be generally available for a year or so. Big mail-order companies like Wayside Gardens and White Flower Farm often have an exclusive on plants for the first year. So if your heart is set on a plant with limited availability, you'll need to buy it mail-order or be patient.

• Ask at your local nursery. They might be able to order the plant you're seeking, or maybe they know it'll be in later in the season. Ask them to call you when the plant arrives.

• If all this seems too much, call or e-mail the expert librarians at the Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library (206-543-0415; hortlib@u.washington.edu) and ask them where to find specific plants.

Remember that the search is half the fun, and you may find plenty of other good plants along the way.

Q: I want to know how to grow potted tulips indoors for summer. I heard you could refrigerate the bulbs and replant them in pots.

A: I think you might be wondering whether you can dig up bloomed-out tulips, refrigerate the bulbs and then get them to bloom again indoors. Nope — they're through for the year. Tulips are spring bloomers. When you buy tulip bulbs in the autumn, you can pot them up, refrigerate them for at least 12 weeks and then move the pots to a bright warm room to force the tulips to bloom early. Then those bulbs should be discarded, or you can try planting them back outside for bloom the next year, but they rarely put on much of a show again.

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.