Gardening could also be a calming passion for you, however horticulture can also be a science—full with its personal set of terminology. That is hardly shocking, given how a lot precision is required to create the circumstances crucial for some crops to outlive.
And but, there are some gardening and landscaping phrases which can be used inconsistently, or lack a regular definition, like “shrub” and “bush.” The phrases are sometimes used interchangeably, however are they referring to the identical factor? Right here’s what to know concerning the distinction between shrubs and bushes.
What’s the distinction between a shrub and a bush?
Because it seems, this isn’t a straightforward query to reply. That’s as a result of there aren’t commonplace, broadly accepted, or persistently used definitions of “shrub” and “bush”—together with amongst horticulturalists. Many sources from native extension workplaces or horticultural societies both use the phrases interchangeably, or solely seek advice from shrubs of their supplies.
One exception (not less than from what is accessible on-line) is the Nationwide Backyard Affiliation’s Dictionary, which offers the next definitions:
- bush: “A shrub with branches; a thick shrub; technically, a low and much-branched shrub.”
- shrub: “A woody plant, typically smaller than a tree, which produces a number of stems, fairly than a single trunk from the bottom.”
Primarily based on these definitions, it appears like a bush is a sort of shrub, and shrubs are mini, trunkless timber. And based on the Nationwide Park Service, timber have trunk greater than two inches in diameter at 4.5 ft concerning the floor, and are typically over 20-feet-tall.
In the meantime, Jerry Goodspeed, a horticulturist on the Utah State College Extension, additionally makes use of the phrases “shrub” and “bush” interchangeably, noting that each phrases seek advice from “a woody plant” that reaches a mature peak of between 1.5 and 10 ft. “Something smaller is floor cowl,” he defined in an interview. “Something bigger is a tree.”
Though our seek for definitions didn’t precisely clear issues up, it’s a superb reminder to ask questions and do your analysis on crops and timber earlier than buying them. As a substitute of assuming that each one crops in a selected class are cared for in the identical means, it’s essential to search out out what every one wants with a purpose to thrive.
