How to Choose and Maintain Shrubs in New Jersey

Everyone knows that a beautiful landscape completes a home. To achieve an eye-catching landscape design, you need a variety of softscape elements. Flowers make the top of most gardening must-have lists, but shrubs add texture and greenery throughout the year. They create privacy and add a lush feel to your New Jersey landscape. If you’re wondering how to choose and maintain shrubs, keep reading.

While they take up some space, shrubs can set your yard apart in the best way possible. From bushes covered in beautiful white flowers to green shrubbery perfect for bordering a landscape, shrubs add an effect to your yard that no other plant life or man-made decoration can achieve.

Caring for Your Shrubs

While we do recommend that every yard have some shrubs, there are things to consider before purchasing. Just like any other plant, you’re going to need to maintain a certain living standard for your shrub. Whether it’s watering your shrubs or maintaining their size, different shrubs require different living standards to develop properly. Here are some maintenance standards that should be taken into consideration when choosing a shrub:

Maintenance of Shrubs

Shrubs are as varied by species as you can imagine.  Some shrubs require a lot of water and may die without regular watering.  Other shrubs might find their own way and become a nuisance as they fight other trees and shrubs on your property for a water supply.

Very aggressive shrubs can even root into your water supply, sewer lines, or sprinkler system, eventually choking them out with snarls of roots in search of a water source. If water rationing is something to consider, you might be happier with a shrub that needs less water.

Typically, flowering shrubs require more energy and nutrients.  There’s a fine line to walk when it comes to how you want your shrub to look vs. how much water you need to give it

Growth

Shrubs that grow aggressively require more pruning and trimming in the spring.  If you don’t have time to dedicate to pruning and maintaining your shrubs, you may consider something that is closer to xeriscaping, where little to no maintenance is required.  However, growth may be slow with these types of shrubs.

Effort

Maintaining shrubs and trees requires effort.  If you can’t put work into a yard or hire someone who will, shrubs might not be what you need right now.  Healthy shrubs require regular pruning and watering.  This keeps disease, insect infestations, and rot at bay.

Now that you know what goes into maintaining a shrub, you’re going to have to decide what species fits your yard. There are a seemingly endless number of shrubs to consider. Below are some of our favorite shrub choices.

Popular Shrubs to Plant in New Jersey:

Rugosa Roses

This specific type of shrub is very popular in New Jersey as it is fast growing and comes in a multitude of colors including pink, red, purple, and yellow. This low maintenance shrub originated in eastern Asia and can be pruned to any size that fits your yard.

Due to New Jersey’s varying climate, this bush is great because it can withstand colder temperatures or short periods of drought.

Black Beauty Elderberry

The Black Beauty Elderberry is a deciduous shrub. For the first few years, the plant requires regular watering/ After this growing period, it can last long periods without water, making it a relatively easy shrub to care for.

This shrub grows beautiful pink flowers and edible berries that can be used for juice or jelly. Depending on how much space you have, the shrub can be cut back or left to grow while still maintaining its bold look.

Green Gem Boxwood

If you’re looking for a hardy border shrub, this is your best choice. The Green Gem Boxwood can withstand hard winters or periods with little to no rain. This shrub grows in a circular shape and has a 2-3 foot spread/ It’s great for pruning into different shapes. As a shrub that does not flower, the boxwood makes a great accompaniment to other flowering plants.

Slender Deutzia

A shrub with graceful white flowers that sets itself apart from other shrubs. It can be placed anywhere in your yard with the right pruning. The slender deutzia is deciduous and has moderate tolerance to difficult weather and varying soil pH levels.