Buzz
While gardening can be a soothing pastime, it’s also a scientific discipline with its own specialized vocabulary. This level of detail is essential, especially when creating the ideal environments for certain plants to thrive.
However, some gardening and landscaping terms, such as 'shrub' and 'bush,' are often used inconsistently or lack clear definitions. Though frequently interchanged, do they mean the same thing? Here’s a breakdown of the distinctions between shrubs and bushes.
How do shrubs and bushes differ from one another?
Interestingly, this question isn’t straightforward to answer. The reason is that there’s no universally accepted or consistently applied definition for 'shrub' and 'bush,' even among horticultural experts. Many resources, such as local extension offices or horticultural societies, either use the terms interchangeably or focus solely on shrubs in their documentation.
One notable exception (based on online findings) is the National Garden Association’s Dictionary, which offers the following definitions:
bush: 'A shrub with branches; a dense shrub; technically, a low-growing and heavily branched shrub.'
shrub: 'A woody plant, typically smaller than a tree, that grows multiple stems instead of a single trunk from its base.'
From these definitions, it appears that a bush is a specific type of shrub, and shrubs themselves are essentially smaller, trunkless versions of trees. Additionally, the National Park Service specifies that trees have trunks exceeding two inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground and usually grow taller than 20 feet.
Similarly, Jerry Goodspeed, a horticulturist at the Utah State University Extension, treats 'shrub' and 'bush' as interchangeable terms. He describes both as 'woody plants' that grow to a mature height of 1.5 to 10 feet. 'Anything smaller is considered ground cover,' he stated in an interview. 'Anything larger is classified as a tree.'
While our quest for clear definitions didn’t fully resolve the confusion, it serves as a valuable reminder to ask questions and conduct thorough research on plants and trees before making a purchase. Rather than assuming that all plants within a specific category require identical care, it’s crucial to understand the unique needs of each one to ensure they flourish.
