Growing Shrubs: Q&A

The types of shrubs you have to choose from fall roughly into three categories, as explained in this FAQ. A link is provided for a resource that looks at some examples of shrubs in greater detail.

When is a plant to be deemed a "tree," as opposed to a "shrub"? You may believe that the answer is easy (and sometimes it is), but in some cases, the distinction is not crystal clear. For those times, the curious among you will want to have handy the technical difference between these two types of plants.

Growing shrubs successfully begins with planting them properly. Learn the correct method for planting shrubs. Planting shrubs in this manner will increase your chances of enjoying healthy specimens for many years to come.

After you've selected the types of shrubs you are interested in growing and have them in the ground, the next task in growing shrubs is providing proper care. An aspect of care that many people have questions about is pruning -- the subject of this FAQ.

You learn pretty quickly as you gain experience in growing shrubs that it helps to classify them in broad categories. While you still need to deal with each shrub on a case by case basis, knowing that a bush is, say, a needled evergreen will allow you to work with certain basic assumptions that facilitate maintenance.

Another element that is part of the care required for growing shrubs is winter protection -- at least for those in the North. Since many flowering shrubs are deciduous and afford little in the way of visual interest for the winter landscape, there is no reason to take chances and expose a plant to winter's fury if you think there's a chance damage may ensue.

One of your goals in growing shrubs should be to achieve four-season visual interest in your landscape. Evergreen shrubs provide that interest in winter, making the question here tougher to answer: should they be protected, at the expense of the view?