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Shrub Growing Tips
These shrub growing tips may help you solve some of the problems commonly associated with growing bushes, well as aiding you in such matters as selecting the best plants in the first place and pruning them as needed in the future. It's important to get all this right, because shrubs, along with trees and hardscape, can form the "bones" of your yard.
List of Shrubs
Selecting just the right shrub -- that piece de resistance to cap off your landscaping efforts -- can be a daunting task. If you walk into a garden center without a well-thought-out plan, my friend, you're lost! Why? Because you'll be distracted by all the eye candy and lose track of what you really need. Use this list of shrubs to do your homework and be well-prepared before you head out to buy.
Shrub Problems
Let's say you've selected your bush and planted it in the ground. It does well for a while, but then a problem develops -- and you have no clue what the correct solution may be. This FAQ on shrub growing tips is for you. Scan it to see if I cover any issues that resemble yours. Many shrub problems are commonplace and I may already have included just the solution you need in this article.
Pruning Shrubs
Pruning shrubs is a job neither for the over-eager nor for the faint of heart. You need to prepare by studying shrub growing tips (to learn, for example, the precise time for pruning a particular bush). But once you understand what needs to be done, you need to be merciless in removing branches that don't belong on the bush. Here's some help to get you off on the right foot.
Planting Hedges
A special category of shrub growing tips relates to the planting of hedges and (next entry) shearing them. Even those not normally enamored with straight lines are not crazy about crooked hedges. So learn how to plant a hedgerow so that it comes out straight!
How to Trim Hedges
Of course, your work doesn't end there. It's one thing to plant hedge shrubs in a nice, even row; it's another thing to maintain them that way. That means getting out there with shears or with a power hedger and trimming. Tip: growing hedges is incompatible with low-maintenance landscaping, so if you're not amenable to yard work, steer clear of hedges!