Tips on Choosing Shrubs for Landscaping

Landscapers often grow the same species of plants as both trees and shrubs. Shrubs for landscaping can be classified into evergreen and deciduous species.

A shrub is generally a woody plant with multiple trunks. This contrasts with trees, which generally have only one trunk.

The term “shrub” is a general description rather than a botanical classification.

Shrubs For Landscaping Overview

Shrubs generally require more maintenance than trees since they need frequent pruning. Landscapers use pruning to keep shrubs at a specific height, develop multiple trunks and encourage the growth of dense foliage.

Landscape companies maintain shrubs at a height of 20 feet or less, and they are often called hedges when their height is eight feet or less. Cultivated shrubs are a common part of landscaped areas such as gardens and parks.

The best choices for shrubs recover quickly from pruning. They often grow many long stems called canes when the plant is pruned back to the trunks. Some shrubs grow better when the landscaper prunes them more selectively. Shrubs usually have broad leaves, which provide more attractive foliage for landscaping than conifers.

Experts grow many plants as shrubs. The most common types of evergreen shrubs include boxwood, holly and junipers. These shrubs are commonly used to create contrasts with deciduous shrubs during the summer and color during the winter.

Deciduous shrubs are often grown in yard landscapes for their abundant blooms and attractive foliage throughout their long growing season. Common choices of deciduous shrubs include butterfly bush, forsythia and spirea.

Evergreen Shrubs

Boxwood is the common name for plants in the Buxus genus, which contains about 70 species. They are some of the most common types of hedges since they are easy to shape. Boxwoods are native to many parts of the world, including Africa, southern Asia, southern Europe, South America and Central America. The area of greatest diversity for boxwoods is Cuba, which has about 30 native species. Boxwoods are slow-growing plants that rarely exceed 40 feet in the wild. The leaves are usually small, with a length of less than two inches in most species. The leaves of a few species such as Buxus macrocarpa exceed four inches in length. The small flowers are yellow-green color.

Holly is the common name for plants in the Ilex genus, which contains at least 400 species. This genus includes both evergreen and deciduous species, although the evergreen species are most often cultivated as shrubs. Holly grows in subtropical regions of both hemispheres of the world.

They usually grow at low altitudes, although some species can thrive at a height of over 6,000 feet. Holly shrubs usually grow slowly, but they can exceed 30 feet in time. The leaves of holly plants are usually smooth and shiny, with spiny or serrated margins. The flowers are small and yellow-green in color. The fruits are small berries that can be black, brown or red in color. They ripen in winter, providing a color contrast with the foliage.

Junipers are plants in the Juniperus genus, which contains at least 50 species. They grow in all climates throughout the northern hemisphere. Their size and shape varies greatly, from tall trees to low shrubs. All species of junipers are evergreen, with leaves that resemble needles or scales. The female seed cones have fleshy scales that often resemble berries. These cones can be up to an inch in length and are usually blue, although some species of junipers produce red or orange seed comes.

Landscapers often value junipers for the color contrast provided by these seed cones, especially during the winter. The male cones typically shed pollen in the early spring, although some species produce pollen during autumn. The seeds of a juniper plant may require up to 18 months to mature.

Deciduous Shrubs

A butterfly bush may be any species in the Buddleja genus, which has at least 100 species. Buddleja americana is often grown as a landscaping shrub, and it is the most widespread species in the Americas.

The butterfly bush grows in all terrains within tropical and subtropical climates, with a natural range that extends from Mexico to Bolivia. It does not tolerate cold and will die from brief exposure to freezing temperatures. The butterfly bush can exceed 15 feet in height in the wild and has light brown bark with distinctive fissures.

The leaves vary greatly in size and shape, with some leaves bearing a layer of fine hairs. The butterfly bush bears long clusters of flowers known as inflorescences, which can reach 10 inches in length. The flowers are yellow on the inside and white on the outside.

Forsythia is a genus of about 11 species of flowering plants. Most garden varieties are hybrids of Forsythia suspensa and Forsythia vridissima. Forsythias flower in the early spring, producing abundant blooms of yellow flowers. They are unusually hardy, and can tolerate a wide variety of soil and climate conditions. Landscapers most often grow forsythia as a small, upright bush with brightly colored flowers. Some varieties of forsythia grow as a large shrub with pale flowers.

Landscapers often propagate forsythia by placing a weight over a low-hanging branch to keep it against the ground. The branch will take root, allowing the landscaper to cut the branch off and transplant the rooted part.

Spirea is a genus that contains up to 100 species. They probably originate from eastern Asia, although they grow in all areas of the northern hemisphere with a temperate climate. Spirea are generally hardy, and landscapers typically use them as ornamental plants. The tall forms are typically cultivated as hedges and the low forms are most often used as groundcover.

Spirea plants produce dense inflorescences of small flowers that grow as clusters or umbrella shapes known as corymbs. Spirea flowers bloom from spring to mid-summer, depending on the species. The bright colors of the flowers range from white to red, and usually have five petals. Spirea leaves have a narrow, oval shape which may reach a length of four inches.

The margins of the leaves are usually toothed, although they may also be lobed or cut.