Gardening could also be a calming pastime for you, however horticulture can be a science—full with its personal set of terminology. That is hardly shocking, given how a lot precision is required to create the situations vital for some vegetation to outlive.
And but, there are some gardening and landscaping phrases which can be used inconsistently, or lack a normal 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 in regards to the distinction between shrubs and bushes.
What’s the distinction between a shrub and a bush?
Because it seems, this isn’t a simple query to reply. That’s as a result of there aren’t customary, extensively accepted, or constantly used definitions of “shrub” and “bush”—together with amongst horticulturalists. Many assets from native extension places of work or horticultural societies both use the phrases interchangeably, or solely seek advice from shrubs of their supplies.
One exception (at the least from what is on the market on-line) is the Nationwide Backyard Affiliation’s Dictionary, which supplies the next definitions:
- bush: “A shrub with branches; a thick shrub; technically, a low and much-branched shrub.”
- shrub: “A woody plant, usually smaller than a tree, which produces a number of stems, relatively 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 bushes. And in keeping with the Nationwide Park Service, bushes have trunk greater than two inches in diameter at 4.5 ft in regards to the floor, and are usually 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 top 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 an excellent reminder to ask questions and do your analysis on vegetation and bushes earlier than buying them. As a substitute of assuming that every one vegetation in a selected class are cared for in the identical means, it’s essential to seek out out what every one wants with a view to thrive.