Shrubs - All You Need To Know.

Shrubs are the intermediates – bigger than plants but smaller than trees. They cangrow up to 6 meters in height and carry several stems. These stems, known as ‘canes’,often touch the ground, and this is the feature that distinguishes shrubs from other plants and trees. An alias for shrub is ‘bush’.

Relevant Terms

Sub-Shrubs
Shrubs that are lower in height than other normal shrubs, are called ‘Sub-Shrubs’. They are generally 10-20 cm tall, and are known to have over-wintering woody growth. They vary in their longetivity - some are weakly woody and last only a few years, while others could manage to persist perennially. Examples of sub-shrubs are : lavender, lerivinkle, lhyme, ericaceae, cranberries etc.

Shrub-Lands
Habitats of shrubs are called ‘Shrub-Lands’. These are the regions of land that do not support tall trees to grow but do help shrubs to develop. They are expected to be found near deserts and grasslands. Their climate is such that they get more rain than deserts, but lesser than forests. The growth of the shrub-lands depends on the natural or human forces applied to the lands. For example, the land tends to lose its value when injured by flood, fire, volcanos etc., can hamper the growth of plants or trees, and becomes shrub-lands just fertile for th growth of shrubs. When jungles and forests
are reduced due to excessive logging by humans for their purposes, these lands too, become shrub-lands producing shrubs on their own.

Shrub-Berries
The areas cultivated with shrubs, are known as ‘Shrub-Berries’. These are the planted shrubs in gardens and parks, solely for ornamental purposes. Shrubs show their leafy nature and dense foliage if taken care of, and this in turn, makes shrubs look yet more beautiful. Shrub-berries have often been exploited by novelists to make their writing speak, and to enliven their descriptions. Jane Austen, in her novel ‘Mansfield Park’, remarks – “Mr Rushworth," said Lady Bertram, "if I were you, I would have a very pretty shrub-berry. One likes to get out into a shrub-bery in fine weather.”

Flowering-Shrubs
As the name suggests, these shrubs have flowers on them alongwith a good foliage. They are fragrant, and invite butterflies. Flowering shrubs are available in the market for sale and make attractive gardening plants. Examples of flowering-shrubs are: althea rose of sharon, barberry red, buddleia and american bittersweet.

Why shrubs are considered for household gardening

• Shrubs own an inherent characteristic of being care-free. Although, proper prunning would always help.
• Shrubs give your garden an effect of being voluminous – both, with regard to flowers and foliage.
• Planting shrubs in the corners of the garden, balconies and swimming pools livens up the places.
• Sub-shrubs could be cultivated in pots, and put inside the house to hide sore spots on walls and angles.
• Flowering shrubs not only adds to your garden in terms of color and
  beauty, but also attract birds and butterflies, making your garden more
  lively!
  

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Shrubs - All You Need To Know.