Landscaping Shrubs

Flowering Shrubs

• Flowering shrubs are covered with blankets of flowers in the spring and provide foliage summer through fall. Forsythia, lilac, rhododendrons and azaleas, rose of Sharon and hydrangeas are some of the most common flowering shrubs used in landscaping. Hardy flowering shrubs benefit from fertilizer in the spring and thick mulch throughout the year. Plant flowering shrubs as hedges, privacy screens or ornamental display plants.

Perennial Herbs

• Herbaceous perennial herbs used as landscaping shrubs include artemesia, lavender, rosemary and sweet bay laurel. These herbs grow into shrubs. They are native to the Mediterranean area, need attention to soil, and care to flourish. They benefit from well-drained soil with sand added and mixed in well. Plants native to the Mediterranean are damaged by freezing ground in the winter and need protection to survive in cold climates.

Evergreen Shrubs

• Evergreen shrubs; such as arborvitae, yew, box and juniper; are common landscape shrubs. They are planted as living fences and as foundation plants. Evergreen shrubs keep their green color all year long. Many provide berries that birds and wildlife eat. Some evergreens are trimmed and shaped in formal shapes with hedging shears or clippers.

Fruit-Bearing Shrubs

• Fruit-bearing shrubs are grown as hedges and for fruit. Raspberries, currents, gooseberries and blackberries are planted for their crops and as hedges and screens. Fruit-bearing shrubs need more attention than other shrubs and they attract wildlife. Raspberries and blackberries need stakes or trellises on which to grow, while currents grow in a compact bush that produces sweet berries.

Ornamental Grasses

• Ornamental grasses are used in landscape design much as shrubs for screens, living walls and ornamental displays. Some ornamental grasses grow tall and some have a stiff, upright growth habit. Most produce seedheads that last into winter, providing texture and visual interest year round. Divide ornamental grasses every few years to stay healthy and continue growing.