Landscaping Ideas With Shrubs

Location

• Shrubs present such varied options for the homeowner that actually choosing one can become quite difficult. Monitor the available sunlight and soil conditions where you want to plant shrubs. Take this information to your local garden center for information on the best shrubs to fit your needs. If you prefer to make your own choices, visit the garden center and write down your favorites. Almost every nursery plant container lists sunlight, water and fertilizing requirements for each plant.

Variety

• Shrubs come in a wide variety of colors for both flowers and leaves. These endless choices allow the gardener to add much variety to the garden. This variety also allows homeowners to create a garden that will bloom throughout the growing season with careful planning. Choose plants that flower at different times to ensure continuous blooms in your gardens.

  Vary the height of your shrubs to create interest in the garden. Plant taller shrubs in the back and frame these dramatic bloomers with a border of annuals. Give a dramatic shrub such as a Rose of Sharon or Rhododendron its very own garden with simple mulch and edging to frame the beautiful flowers.

Accentuate Your Home

• Shrubs function as space fillers for bare corners and bland areas in the landscape. One advantage to a shrub is that it looks perfect growing right smack in the middle of the lawn. Use shrubs to accent the corners of your home or on each side of your front porch. If you want year-round color choose an evergreen shrub such as azalea or laurel. Boxwood come in varying heights and can be groomed to form a pleasing rounded shape quite easily.

Beautiful Borders

• Create a beautiful flowering or evergreen border along the boundaries of your yard by creating a shrub hedge. Simple and hardy shrubs such as honeysuckle or forsythia bloom early in the year and require plenty of room to spread. Crape myrtle blooms in the mid to late summer in moderate climates with vibrant magenta, white or light pink flowers that are simply a stunning addition to any landscape. Trim the bottom limbs to encourage the plant to grow higher for privacy.