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Improve Your Yard with Shrubs

Shrubs are woody plants that are different from trees because of their lower heights and multiple stems. They make great additions to gardens because they provide shade while balancing and toning down the color of flowers. While most shrubs don't have that many light or water demands, they do require more maintenance when it comes to pruning and cleaning up after them.

Although you may find the pruning to be time-consuming, you can shape them into whatever style you like. Similarly, if you decide you don't want to trim them often, you can allow them to grow into natural walls that provide you with not only privacy but also a windbreak in your yard. When properly cared for, your shrubs will last for years.

Planting and Transporting Shrubs
The best time to plant shrubs is generally in the fall. While shrubs don't require any more or less watering than the typical plants, keeping them well watered is extremely important, as dried out shrubs can be a serious fire hazard.

When the shrubs are sold in containers they retain their entire root system, giving them an advantage during transplant. You can also buy shrubs with their root wrapped in burlap. Either way, be sure to plant them in quality soil that will provide them with the proper nutrients.

Popular Shrubs to Check Out
If you haven't worked with shrubs in your garden, here are some of the most popular ones to consider:

• Bottlebrush Buckeye is very popular for its summer blooms (tending to be either yellow or light orange) that can be one foot long. It grows well in sun or light shade.
• Boxwood is the most all-purpose common shrub. While it prefers full sun, it can tolerate some shade.
• Buddleia has beautiful blooms that attract butterflies. This shrub is easy to grow and adds a lovely fragrance to your yard. 
• Dogwood shrubs have beautiful blooms in the spring and stunning foliage in the fall. This shrub can easily be used as a border or focal point.
• Forsythia has blossoms from top to bottom in the spring and ranges in size from one to eight feet tall.
• Hardy Beauty Berry is a very low maintenance shrub. In the late summer, this shrub has plenty of pink flowers to enjoy. During the winter, it produces purple berries that attract birds.
• Hardy Summersweet, a shrub native to North America, is a low maintenance plant. Its late summer to early fall blooms (tending to be deep rose, white or pink) produce a wonderful, sweet smelling fragrance.
• Hibiscus is a late season bloomer that gets large tropical flowers in August. This shrub can be trained to grow as a tree by pruning it down to a single trunk.
• Holly shrubs come in a lot of varieties. While they prefer some shade, they can still thrive in full sun. They have red berries during the winter.
• Hydrangeas come in many colors and varieties. This shrub starts flowering in June and doesn’t stop until frost appears.
• Mophead Hydrangea is a popular flowering summer shrub that is originally from Japan. It comes in various colors.
• Mussaeda, a broadleaf evergreen, is a moisture-loving plant that is native to the coral reef areas. This shrub has beautiful showy blooms. Although it can reach heights of up to ten feet tall in coral reef conditions, it generally grows smaller in less ideal conditions. 
• Oak-Leaf Hydrangea has flower clusters that range in size from one to ten feet tall. In the winter, the foliage turns to a rich deep burgundy.

While this list isn't comprehensive, it does give you an idea of the various and multi-faceted types of shrubs you can choose for your garden. Depending on the conditions of your yard, as well as your personal preferences of color and size, you can find shrubs that will suit your needs.

One of the only disadvantages may be that shrubs tend to attract bees, butterflies and birds. While some demand frequent pruning, others are lower maintenance. The key is to do your research ahead of time to find the shrubs that will work best for you!