Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
What type of sun exposure does this area of the foundation receive; full sun, morning sun w/afternoon shade, morning shade w/afternoon sun? How tall and wide do you want the plants to grow? Is the soil in this area well-drained? Knowing this will help me to provide you with some good low-maintenance plant selections.

Regarding the termites, it's a myth that shredded mulches attract these insects. I have used shredded wood mulch around my home for many many years and have never found termites eating it. If they did, it wouldn't be long and they would eat all the mulch! This has never happened. If you live in a region where there are termites they are everywhere, anyway, and are most attracted to buried wood, stumps, or the wood in the frame of your home. For example, in the state of Georgia, there are an average of 8 to 12 termite colonies per acre...and this is why we MUST treat our homes. Even if mulch did attract termites it wouldn't matter as long as your home was protected.

Christy Shimmin · Gardenality Seed · Zone 6A · -10° to -5° F
Thanks, Brent! It is mostly shady there as we have big trees there. We may get a little sun but not much. I would really prefer no taller than 2-3 feet and width probably isn't a big concern. As far as the soil,drainage, we pulled up some landscaping bricks because it was causing the area to retain too much water and we would get a little water in our basement. I'm also going to slope the ground slightly with dirt so it will be able to drain down. Hope that helps!