Flowers and bedding plants make for a great finishing touch, like icing on a cake, but every home landscape should first start with shrubs. They are the foundation of landscape design and the major part of giving a house excellent curb appeal. Several types of shrubs are evergreen, providing beauty 365 days a year, but evergreen doesn’t necessarily mean the foliage must be green. Shrubs now come in a variety of colors, from bright yellows to warm reds and rich burgundy tones. Many shrubs dazzle with flowers or berries, and some even fill the air with lovely fragrances.
When deciding on shrubs for your yard, choose the ones that appeal to you visually, but also consider the following factors, so you’ll have the best success in your garden:
1. The amount of sun the shrubs will receive and at what time of day. Some plants thrive in full all-day sun, but others prefer less intense morning sun only or even shade because they can’t tolerate the hot afternoon sun in the summertime.
2. The mature plant size you desire for your space. You’ll save time and effort and have healthier shrubs if you are not constantly pruning large shrubs to keep them small. There are many varieties of shrubs that only reach about three feet tall. Just think how much easier it would be to maintain those if you want short shrubs along walkways and in front of your windows. On the other hand, many types of shrubs grow tall if you need a plant with height to use as a focal point, bordering your front door, accent a blank wall, or cover a fence. Tall shrubs also provide privacy, wind or noise breaks, and block out unsightly objects.
Covington’s has a large assortment of beautiful shrubs that will add color, texture, and function to your home for you to choose from.
For a list of some of our favorite shrubs, see our article, “Top Ten Tried & True Ornamental Trees & Shrubs for North Texas.” Then you can check our Inventory to see all of those shrubs we currently have in stock.