What’s The Difference Between Shrubs and Bushes?
One of the best ways to improve a home’s appearance is to invest time in taking care of the lawn and investing time in landscaping. When it comes to landscaping, plenty of homeowners choose to plant shrubs and bushes to add depth, curb appeal, and privacy around their home. In most cases, shrubs and bushes are used interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two. Properly caring for shrubs and bushes in your yard starts with understanding these differences.
What is a Shrub?
A shrub is a plant that can be low to the ground with multiple woody stems or can grow to approximately fifteen feet. In some instances, a shrub can also be referred to as a tree. Shrubs only have one set of roots, so unlike other plants, they cannot be divided or split apart.
This type of plant can be pruned if owners are concerned with it overgrowing or cluttering the area in which it grows. If you decide to trim shrubs, they typically only need attention once a year. Shrubs are commonly found in your garden or flower beds, but in some cases are used as hedges.
What is a Bush?
Bushes can have multiple stems or one stem that are not woody, and the leaves are usually close to the ground. The term bush is more often used as an adjective describing how shrubs grow than an actual plant. If multiple shrubs are planted close together, or a shrub grows round instead of straight up, they are considered a bush.
Bushes are typically left to grow as nature sees fit unlike the yearly pruning shrubs require.
Deciding to Plant Shrubs or Bushes
When choosing whether to plant shrubs or bushes, you should consider what look you want to portray in your yard or flower bed. If you are looking to break up a large flat yard, bushes are a great option. If you need height added to flower beds then planting shrubs is a good solution.
For more information on proper lawn, tree and shrub care, contact the team at Perennial Lawn Care today. We assist homeowners throughout New Jersey with the lawn care needs and are ready to help you.
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