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TINO: When you think of a shrub,
you might have an image of a green, rounded bush
that sits in the background to your more-prized plants.
But I reckon there's way more to them than that.
They're a diverse plant type
and they play a major role
in any garden's ecosystem,
providing both functional and visual benefits.
The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
are home to a huge array of plant types and species.
And it's the perfect place to look at how to use shrubs effectively
in the home garden.
Shrubs are perennial plants that are generally smaller than trees,
that form multiple stems from the base
rather than growing from one single trunk.
And unlike herbaceous plants, the stems are woody.
But it's a pretty broad category.
So is it a shrub or is it a bush?
Well, it depends on who you ask.
In a classical horticultural sense,
a bush refers to the shape,
whereas a shrub is the plant type.
But in my opinion, the terms are interchangeable
and have no difference in meaning.
Shrubs, or bushes,
come in many forms and shapes and from all over the world.
They're an ideal choice for creating hedges and barriers.
And there's a variety of native and exotic plants
that are perfect for creating a formal or informal hedge
to provide both structure and screening and wind protection.
Go for a species with an upright or rounded form,
with small leaves that are densely packed.
This Lonicera nitida here
is your stereotypical shrub.
It's commonly used as borders in gardens
because it's got bright green foliage
and a dense habit.
It's doing really well here
and only requires a regular light prune to keep its shape.
There are plenty more exciting choices,
and hedges don't have to be green.
There's the red foliage of the Coprosma repens 'Pacific Sunrise'
if you're after a colour feature.
Or there's the grey of Westringia fruticosa
that can provide great wind protection
as well as habitat.
Creating barriers isn't just for people and privacy.
You can use them to protect your flowers and your veggies,
and they add great visual appeal to your garden.
And in the case of rosemary,
you get a bit of an aromatic appeal as well.
Maintaining a shrub like rosemary is easy.
Once a year, go through the middle of the plant
and remove any dead wood.
And then from there,
it's just regular pruning of the tops and the sides
using a hedge trimmer, secateurs
or even your thumb and forefinger
to pinch out the tips.
A traditional design to fill large spaces
is to use densely packed shrubs that are easy to maintain
and provide good structure and greenery.
And if you use a plant like a camellia,
you get the added bonus of colourful blooms.
Around the lily pond,
the large shrub masses create an almost solid boundary to this garden.
You can do this with plants that have similar traits
for big impact.
(BIRDSONG) (GENTLE MUSIC)
Or you can get creative
with variations and contrasts in leaf colour, form and height
to create a unique vista.
Some shrubs are incredible specimens in their own right.
This luculia is a Himalayan native.
And its pink flowers, that are aromatic, brighten up any space.
It's a bit frost-tender, though,
so you need to find a protected spot for it,
especially if it's young.
But after that, it's easy to maintain -
just prune after flowering.
Shrubs aren't just for aesthetics.
They play an important role in habitat and creating microclimates.
They provide a crucial link between the ground and the trees
for small animals, birds and the bees.
They're often the middle layers.
Trees are big and wider apart,
herbs and grasses are low and soft.
Shrubs can be denser, with more structural diversity,
and can range from large ground covers
to thick and tall bushes.
And once they're established,
they also help to control your weeds.
There's also great native options as well
where you can plant for density and difference of form
to create protected homes and movement corridors
for your local wildlife.
Here they've also planted native grasses
to increase the diversity of the space,
where animals can move through and hide if they need to.
As long as they're in the right position
and have enough room to allow for their width and height,
shrubs can be an easy-care, versatile addition to your garden.
They complement other plantings
and they create a beautiful space for both you and your local wildlife.
So don't forget to add some shrubs
when you're doing a bit of garden planning.