# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  What is best against external walls if not a garden bed?

## n00b

I am currently getting quotes to landscape my front yard. Right now there are garden beds against external walls of the house which aren't properly waterproofed and might be the source of water getting in under the house. Most of the garden beds are low, 30cm while one is about 1m high and 2m wide. 
I am reading recommendations to not have garden beds against the side of the house. If that is so what would be ideal from a foundation/structural perspective? Just grass? Concrete? Something else?

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## Bart1080

Yeh not a big fan due to moisture and/or attracting white ants. 
Whatever you put down, need to make sure its draining (sloping) away from the house.  If a hard surface (pavers, concrete), then a slope of 8mm per meter is fine. 
Heaps of options - decorative stone, pavers, dec stone & pavers, concrete, could easily go grass if it's not shaded all day but suggest a row of bricks/narrows pavers against the wall to make it easy to mow.   In terms of plants, then could use large pots, rectangle pots placed in locations that suit and/or landscape your garden bed layouts so they are not running along the house walls (as its only small) or adjoining the house wall but running away along a pathway as an example.

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