How to Care for Garden Shrubs

Shrubs are garden plants with multiple, woody stems that grow less than 15 feet in height. Plants in this category can be either small trees, large herbs or true shrubs, depending on the growing environment. Shrubs are commonly grown in gardens as a large display to fill up space or to form a border. Garden shrubs can be easily grown in most temperate climates and require only routine care and maintenance to thrive.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mulch
• Fertilizer
• Pruning shears

1. Choose a planting location that receives four to six hours of direct sunlight and has fertile, well-drained soil. Dig a hole of equal depth and twice as wide as the root ball of the garden shrub. Remove the shrub from the container and place it directly into the hole. Water thoroughly after planting to compact the soil around the roots.

2. Water garden shrubs twice per week during spring, summer and fall. Keep the soil consistently moist, but do not allow any standing water to accumulate. Reduce watering to once per week during winter, and only during weeks that receive no precipitation.

3. Spread a 3-inch layer of mulch around the base of garden shrubs. This will help insulate the soil, conserve moisture and stunt the growth of weeds, which compete with the plant for nutrients. Remove the old mulch and replace with a new layer anytime the previous layer becomes visibly deteriorated.

4. Feed garden shrubs once per month using a balanced 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer. Water the shrub both before and after application to prevent root burn from the influx of nitrogen. Apply following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

5. Prune garden shrubs once per year, in late winter just before the start of spring growth. Cut the limbs back to about four inches from the stem to encourage full, uniform growth. Remove any dead limbs by cutting them off as close to the stem as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Flowering garden shrubs can be deadheaded to encourage the growth of more blossoms. Simply pinch off any faded or dead flowers as close to the stem as possible. Always check the care instructions for your particular type of garden shrub in case of special care requirements. General care guidelines are applicable to most garden shrubs, but in some cases the steps may need to be amended depending on the individual plant.
• Do not allow any fertilizer to touch the foliage or the stem of the garden shrub, or nitrogen burn can occur. Do not allow water to splash onto the foliage while watering, as moist leaves are susceptible to fungal infestations.

References

• Tree and Shrub Planting Guidelines
• Selecting, Planting, and Caring for Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
• The Ann Lovejoy Handbook of Northwest Gardening; Ann Lovejoy and Janet loughrey; 2003