Any amateur or professional landscaper will love shrubs, which have a remarkable number of advantages. Whether they are appreciated for their ability to enhance the façade of a house or for their ability to create an area away from prying eyes, they are always a sure bet.

Although some common characteristics are immediately recognized, shrubs are available in several varieties. To help you choose the shrubs that will be an integral part of your landscaping, here's a quick overview of the options available to you.

3 varieties of shrubs for your landscaping

1) Fruit shrubs

As the name suggests, this variety includes all the shrubs that produce berries. These include raspberries, gooseberries or blackcurrant. Relatively easy to integrate into a garden, it is possible to plant them on a flowering hedge or to reserve them for a specific area. Because of their more sparse foliage, they cannot be used to create a shady space. Apart from their berries, fruit shrubs also experience flowering periods.

Although they belong to the same variety, fruit shrubs have varying harvest periods. For example, the blackcurrant will produce fruit that matures between June and July, while the shrub that produces blueberries will have fruit from late June to mid-October.

In this regard, it is generally recommended to choose varieties with different harvest periods. This will allow fresh berries to be available over a long period without the time required for their harvest.

It is also advisable to learn about the taste of the different varieties of fruit produced by the shrubs. In this way, you can take advantage of this diversity of flavours to cook. Interestingly, there are now some varieties of thornless shrubs (for blackberries and currants). This may be a good choice if you want your children to be involved in fruit picking.

Some tips for planting

To plant your fruit shrubs, several recommendations are needed. First, you should dig a hole that is at least 50 cm deep and the width of which is twice the size of the clod. Also, it is important to put some compost inside the hole before planting the shrub with a generously watered base.

Once the shrub is in place, it will be necessary to water the base of the shrub abundantly. Note that to allow the water to stay as close to the base as possible after watering, it is recommended to dig a bowl around the shrub. Also, avoid planting fruit shrubs too close together to prevent mould growth after heavy summer showers.

If your shrubs are potted, it will be best to plant them in the fall or spring. For bare-rooted fruit shrubs, plant in early spring. Let's conclude by pointing out that there may be differences in the measures to be taken at the time of planting. In doing so, be sure to seek advice from an expert in the field before moving forward with your project.

2) Evergreen shrubs

If the fruit shrub is aptly named, the same can be said of evergreen shrubs. Indeed, the name comes from the foliage that it keeps throughout the year. Specifically, it can be said that an evergreen shrub will replace its old foliage with a brand new one in the spring.

In this regard, it is interesting to note that there are two other variants of evergreen shrubs: marcescent or half evergreen shrubs. So what sets them apart? As for the first variety, it is characterized by foliage that will dry out in the fall but will not fall to the ground.

Regarding the second variety, it refers to shrubs that will lose their leaves in varying ways, depending on soil composition and prevailing climatic conditions. Regardless of their variety, evergreen shrubs can be rounded, crawling, spread out or erected.

The latter is still popular, especially because of their particularly abundant foliage. That's exactly why they're being used to create more privacy in the backyard.

Also, they are known to be practical. Although they greatly enjoy being in the sun, they can also be planted in the shade. We must also mention that most of them do not require any cuts, which is a testament to the low maintenance they require.

What's more, some have beautiful colours such as rhododendron and St. John's wort, which display beautiful pink and yellow flowers respectively. The same can be said of the foliage of these shrubs, which may show a brown, green hue or a mixture of white and green. It should be noted that the colour of the foliage tends to retain much the same intensity over the months.

3) Deciduous shrubs

Concerning deciduous shrubs, it should be said that they lose their foliage during the year or for some in winter. Note that this category includes some fruit shrubs as well as others that do not produce fruit and shrubs intended to be potted or in the open ground.

Deciduous shrubs tend to offer a greater variety of colours, either in foliage or in flowering. However, for those who would make this choice because of the beautiful flowers that can be produced by this type of shrub, it should be known that some of these will only produce them if one forgoes pruning them. It is therefore important to consider this factor when making your choice.

Want to have an estimate of the cost of your next landscaping project? Check out our article Landscaping: the Costs of Various Projects for 2020.

Some tips for landscaping

Because of their varied characteristics, it is often recommended to opt for a mixture of deciduous and evergreen shrubs. This avoids having a hedge or landscaping that is completely bare in winter, as deciduous shrubs are stripped off for part of the year.

Need more information for your landscaping project? Here are some reading suggestions:

• 3 Ideas for Organizing your Backyard

• Installing a pool and setting up your backyard

• Working with a horticulturist: averages prices and things to know

• 5 Eco-friendly landscaping projects