Question: The foundation company took out all of our shrubs as they re-leveled the house. Shall we put them back, or should we just get new plants?

Answer: That depends on the time of year and their condition. If it’s during the growing season, especially the summer, their chances of surviving are far poorer. If it’s in the winter, you need to evaluate their looks. If they’ve grown together and “travel as a group, ” it may be hard to reset them with any good looks. If you do try to save them, however, you’ll need to trim them back drastically, since foundation repair people usually don’t take time to do a really careful job of digging the plants.