How Should I Landscape Around My House in Winnipeg?

How should you landscape your house in Winnipeg? Go through the important steps. Grade the soil so water moves away from the foundation, choose Zone 3-rated plants suited to the sun or shade each side of the house gets, keep root systems and mature plant size away from the foundation and window wells and use freeze-thaw-rated material for walkways or beds close to the walls. Otherwise, you risk foundation moisture, cracked walkways or plants that don’t survive one winter in Winnipeg.

At Neil & Nick’s Landscaping, we’ve been designing and building outdoor spaces for Winnipeg homeowners for nearly 20 years. Let’s discuss what matters when landscaping is up against your house. 

Does Grading Near the Foundation Matter?

Yes, this is something you should never overlook. Because Winnipeg has clay-heavy soil, it holds water instead of draining it. If the grade slopes toward the house instead of away from it, water ends up against the foundation. It can result in basement moisture, cracking and settling.

Soil around the foundation should slope away from the house for the first several feet. Proper design accounts for this. That's because it affects where beds, walkways and downspouts can go. 

What Should You Plant Near Your Foundation?

Choose Zone 3-rated plants matched to the sun exposure each side of the house actually gets. For example, a north-facing wall in Winnipeg, which stays shaded most of the day, will need shade-tolerant species. In contrast, a south-facing wall bakes in full sun and dries out faster. Planting the wrong plants has consequences. It’s one of the main reasons foundation beds end up looking patchy in a season or two.

Root systems are as important as sun exposure. Trees and larger shrubs with aggressive or wide-spreading roots can interfere with foundation footing and underground utility lines over time. Plant them farther out in the yard, not tucked against the house.

How Far Should Plants Be From the House?

Generally, small shrubs are okay to sit close to the foundation, but plants with a mature size need room to grow into. Shrubs will need two to three feet of clearance from the wall, but trees will need more, often ten feet or more depending on the species and root spread at maturity.

Spacing also has to account for what’s on the wall already:

• Window wells

• Dryer vents

• Hose bibs

• Utility access points

A plant might look fine at installation, but end up blocking a vent or burying a window well within a few years without planning for a mature size.

What Materials Work Best Close to the House?

Hardscaping close to the house is doable. Think walkways, small patios and steps. Just know that it’s important to choose materials that will hold up to Winnipeg’s freeze-thaw cycles. The wrong base preparation next to the foundation causes cosmetic cracking and can direct water toward the house.

PVC and composite materials work better than untreated wood for structures near the house such as small decks or step landings because they hold up to Manitoba’s temperature swings with less maintenance.

Should You Plan Around Downspouts and Window Wells?

You should. They get missed more often than you think. Downspouts are made to discharge water well away from the foundation so routing one into a planting bed right away against the house will undo any grading work. Window wells need clear drainage and softscaping too close can block that drainage or trap moisture against the window itself. 

Having a formal design in place ahead of time catches it before it becomes a problem instead of finding it after a heavy rain.

What’s the Full Approach to Landscaping Around a Winnipeg House?

When landscaping around the area closest to your house, follow these steps:

1. Grade the soil to slope away from the foundation. 

2. Choose plants suited to each wall’s actual sun or shade exposure. 

3. Keep aggressive root systems and mature tree size away from the foundation.

4. Give shrubs and trees enough room to grow into. 

5. Use freeze-thaw-rated materials for any hardscaping close to the house.

6. Route downspouts away from the foundation and keep beds clear of window wells.

When you plan ahead, the area around your house will work with your foundation instead of against it. You will also keep it safe from moisture and the freeze-thaw cycles of Winnipeg.

Want to Landscape Around Your Home the Right Way?

When it’s time to landscape close to your house in Winnipeg, anything that sits right against the foundation matters as much as anything else in the yard. At Neil & Nick’s Landscaping, we know this. Our team has been designing and building outdoor spaces for Winnipeg homes for nearly 20 years.

Design. Innovate. Build. Contact us to start your design today!