Bushes and shrubs make beautiful additions to any landscaping design, offering numerous ways to bring color, texture, privacy, and shade to your yard. With proper upkeep, your bushes and shrubbery can beautify your property for many years to come. Here are a few tips that can help your bushes and shrubs stay healthy and gorgeous.

How to Take Care of Bushes & Shrubs

1. Watering

When you introduce bushes and shrubs to your landscape design, you should water the new plants once a week for the first season. Using a soaker hose or an adjustable nozzle, water the plantings for five to 10 minutes to make sure the liquid reaches the roots. After the new plants are established, decrease the watering frequency to once every two or three days. If the soil around your bush or shrub is compacted, aeration can loosen the soil to minimize water runoff.

2. Feeding

Adding compost to your soil offers important nutrients and micronutrients that can help your landscaping plants thrive. Mulching around the base of a bush or shrub ensures that the plant can get sufficient moisture and absorb nutrients efficiently. Use fertilizer with caution because it may do more harm than good, especially on delicate, new plantings. Ask your landscaping contractor how much and what type of fertilizer is appropriate for your particular bushes and shrubbery.

3. Pruning

Pruning helps your bushes and shrubs maintain their shape, and it encourages healthy new growth. Remove dead sections and any irregular parts that make the plant look misshapen, being careful not to cut the main stem. Pruning should be done in the springtime before new leaves emerge. For flowering types, such as lilacs, wait to prune until after they bloom so that you don’t accidentally snip flower buds.

 

Once your plantings are established, maintain them by hiring the professional landscaping contractors at Landscape Carolina in Lancaster, SC. For over 30 years, this local company has provided residents and businesses with lawn mowing, hardscaping, and irrigation services at affordable rates. Call (803) 289-7888 to schedule a free consultation, or view a gallery of their products online.