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Shrubs

The Perfect Tie to Bring Your Landscape Design Together

Kurimoto Japanese Garden, Devonian Garden, Devon, Alberta, Canada Longwood Garden 104

Missouri Botanical Garden, Japanese Gardens, Spring, St. Louis, Missouri Red Maples, Dogwoods, Redbuds, Spring, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri Grandpa, where are you? Summer, Missouri Botanical Garden winding pathway



Shrubs, bushes and hedges are more important than you may think in bringing together everything else in your landscape. Don't make the mistake of under-estimating their usefulness! The right ones can be utilized in some very creative and practical ways to make your landscape more functional, beautiful and private.

  • Rounded and bushy types soften the harsher elements of your home such as the corners of the house or a wide expanse of exterior beneath small windows for example. These uses also prevent your home from appearing "stark" and uninteresting;

  • Tall, wide and/or bushy ones can hide or detract from unattractive elements such as utility boxes or street signs;

  • There are several varieties that provide the lowest cost and most attractive solutions for privacy;

  • Hollies, Japanese Boxwoods and similar bushes can create a great "back-drop" and provide a striking contrast to your beautiful flower gardens;

  • Some decorative shrubs and bushes can even provide a stunning focal point in themselves just as a flower bed does (such as azaleas or hydrangea for example).


    • (Click here for more pretty photos)

    Some of my personal favorites are the ones that don't take a lot of trimming such as dwarf youpon hollies, salvia, sage, hollies and pittosporums. I also favor the ones that are either a deep, glossy green (like hollies) or in themselves, add some great contrast to your landscape. A good example of this type would be japanese boxwoods with their beautiful light--almost yellowish-green tones.

    For great seasonal color in your landscape, some of the most beautiful shrubs are hydrangea (pink, blue, lavender), roses (no explanation necessary!), salvia and sage (gorgeous shades of blue, bluish-purple--almost violet, deep red, hot pink, salmon, etc., azaleas (of course) for magnificent spring color and several others not mentioned here.

    Salvia is a main-stay of my garden because I love the English cottage garden look with natural-looking light and airy type plants. You can buy a tiny $5.00 plant and within a very short time, you'll have a beautiful light and 'whispy' looking bush that is about 4' wide and 3' deep with vibrantly colored tiny flowers all over it. As a plus, it is also evergreen.

    I have red, hot pink and purple salvia in my garden, and you can see some of them on the front page of this website.

    For some great shrubs articles and information, just click on the line items below. I think you will find them extremely helpful and informative:

    Fertilizing Landscape Shrubs and Trees
     Beautiful Flowering Bushes
     For Dry Climates
     Nostalgic "Old Roses"

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