Bush planting is one of the foundational elements in your Houston landscape. Taller, evergreen bushes create the backdrop against which showier plants can shine. Shorter bushes provide mid-level, or filler, interest. Flowering bushes add color and texture. That’s why Exterior Worlds call the hard-working bush one of the gardener’s best friends.

When planting gardens, plan before you plant. Perhaps you want to start with an enlarged photo of your house from which you can trace its outline onto paper, including any features, such as mature trees, that you plan to keep. Then draw in your preferred plants, including bush plantings, at their mature size and shape. The professional landscape designers at Exterior Worlds can aid tremendously in this important first step.

Bush planting is often called foundation planting, a term that germinated when most houses were pier-and-beam and bushes were planted up close to the house to hide the distracting construction. Foundation planting is often static and too narrow, a single row of shrubs marching in step with the lines of the house. A quick fix—layer the bushes front to back, from shortest to tallest, making sure none of the new bushes tower over the established ones.

With bushes, you want to choose evergreens that create a year-round structure, but, at the same time, you also want to incorporate deciduous shrubs and perennials that provide ornamental value all year. Planting azaleas is an often spectacular choice for our region. Also choose plants with staggered bloom times so that you have spring blossoms, bright summer flowers, colorful fall foliage, and winter berries and fruit.

Planting roses is another way to add bushes and color to your landscape. While rose bushes require specific and meticulous care, the pay-off is in that bowl of fresh roses from your very own garden, sitting on the dining room table and sending out waves of pleasure.

As with all the plant material in your garden design, bushes thrive on proper mulching.
We advise that mulch installation should be done as soon as new bushes are planted and then checked on a regular basis to see where it needs to be re-applied. For best results, your beds should be mulched twice a year. Mulch should not run up the trunks of your bushes as this over-application harms plants and invites disease.

Another ally in your bush planting endeavors is a well-qualified lawn and garden services provider, such as Exterior Worlds. We can do the required feedings, inspection for insect infestation and pruning. And speaking of which, you should be mindful of choosing varieties of shrubs that are bred to grow to the size you want. It will save on your landscaping budget because it means the landscaping crew doesn’t have to spend a lot of time trimming.

A final tip on garden landscape design when planting bushes: the wider the beds, the more freedom of expression. Wide beds that let you add seasonal color, native grasses, evergreen bushes, flowering shrubs and graceful trees are more attractive. They give you more planting opportunities for that lush, layered look that will provide you with years of pleasure.