shrubs

Low woody perennials

Shrubs are woody plants smaller than trees, typically with multiple stems rising from the base rather than a single trunk.

They form hedges, borders, and foundation plantings: We planted shrubs along the fence.

The line between shrub and small tree is fuzzy—some plants grow as either depending on conditions.

A shrub is also a sweet drink made from fruit, sugar, and vinegar, popular in colonial America and revived in craft cocktails.

wild

thicket

Dense shrub cluster

underbrushDense low forest vegetation
scrublandArea of low shrubs
chaparralDense, drought-adapted shrubbery

heath · moorland · bushland · bramble · sagebrush · maquis · undergrowth · coppice · brush · tangled

ornamental

boxwood

Dense-grained ornamental shrub

azaleaOrnamental shrub, vivid clusters
rhododendronShrub with bell-shaped flower clusters
hydrangeaFlowering shrub, clustered blooms

lilac · camellia · forsythia · viburnum · privet · holly · juniper · spiraea · buddleia · japonica

botanical

deciduous

Sheds foliage seasonally

evergreenRetains foliage year-round
perennialRecurring each year
floweringProducing reproductive structures

woody · foliage · leaves · stems · branches · cultivar · species · genus · dormant · hardy

hedging

hedgerow

Linear shrub boundary

borderOuter edge or limit
privacyFreedom from observation
screeningEvaluative selection process

boundary · windbreak · enclosure · barrier · trimming · clipping · shaping · yew · hawthorn · privet

topiary

shaping

Giving something its form

sculptingShaping material into forms
pruningCutting vegetation for health
geometricRelating to mathematical shapes

artistic · ornamental · formal · boxwood · yew · clipping · trimming · frames · spirals · spheres

gardening

pruning

Cutting vegetation for health

mulchingCovering soil protectively
plantingPlacing seeds in earth
transplantingMoving living growth elsewhere

fertilizing · watering · propagation · cuttings · rootstock · nursery · beds · borders · soil · compost

Categories

foresttrees, pine, oak, woods, wood
horticulturehorticulture, gardening, cultivation, planting, seeds
woodlandoak tree, oak trees, beech, oaks, birch
garden featurespath, lawn, hedge, koi pond, arbor
greeneryfoliage, leaves, greenery, verdure, bushes
park maintenancemowing, lawn care, pruning, trimming, weeding

Opposites

plant size/growth form

shrubstrees

Woody plants with trunks

groundcover · canopy trees · towering trees · grasses · flowers

vegetation presence

shrubsshrubless

Having no bushes

barren landscape · hardscape · cleared land · paving · concrete

Phrases

flowering shrubsWoody plants bearing blossoms
native shrubsPlants naturally from here
desert shrubDrought-adapted woody plant
shrub trimmerDevice for shaping bushes
garden shrubWoody yard plant
thorny shrubSpine-covered woody plant

Family

shrub, shrubbery, shrubby, shrubland, shrubbiest, shrubbier, shrubwood

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G