Shrubs & bushes

In everyday gardening, shrub and bush are often used to mean much the same thing. Both describe woody plants that usually grow with several stems from near ground level rather than one main trunk. “Shrub” is the more common horticultural term, while “bush” is often used more informally.

For many shrubs, autumn through to early spring is an excellent planting period, while the soil is moist and plants are not under summer heat stress. Deciduous shrubs are particularly well suited to autumn and winter planting, while evergreens are commonly planted in autumn or spring. Avoid planting into frozen or waterlogged ground.

Start with the conditions rather than the flower colour. Check the shrub’s mature height and spread, light requirements, soil preferences, hardiness and whether it is evergreen or deciduous. Then consider what you want it to do, such as provide screening, flowers, fragrance, berries, winter structure or wildlife value.

There is no single best flowering shrub because different types suit different soils, positions and seasons. Popular groups include Viburnum, Choisya, Philadelphus, Weigela, Ribes, Syringa and Potentilla, among many others. Combining shrubs with different flowering periods can carry colour and fragrance through much more of the year.

Evergreen shrubs keep their foliage through winter, although individual leaves are still replaced over time. Familiar examples include Choisya, many Viburnum, some Hebe and many other broadleaved or coniferous shrubs. If year-round screening or structure is important, check that the particular variety is genuinely evergreen before planting.

Yes. Many shrubs are well suited to partial or dappled shade, and some cope with quite deep shade. The important point is that shade can also mean dry soil beneath trees or damp ground beside a wall, so choose a shrub for both the light level and the soil conditions rather than shade alone.

Pruning time depends mainly on when the shrub flowers and whether it blooms on old or new growth. Many spring-flowering shrubs are pruned after flowering so you do not remove the following year’s flower buds, while numerous summer-flowering shrubs are pruned later, often in spring. Always check the needs of the individual shrub before cutting it back.

Growth rate varies enormously. Some shrubs remain compact and grow only modestly each year, while vigorous types can put on 30–60cm or more of growth in a season once established. For screening or filling a large space, growth rate matters, but so does the plant’s ultimate size; a fast-growing shrub can quickly become too large for a small garden.

Yes. Shrubs can be extremely valuable for birds, pollinators and other garden wildlife. Flowers may provide nectar and pollen, berries can provide food, and dense branching offers shelter and potential nesting sites. A mixture of flowering, fruiting and evergreen shrubs can make a garden useful to wildlife across much more of the year.