Bush Garden – Their Design Role in a Landscape Garden

Executive Summary by: Jonathan Ya’akobi

Bush Garden: Landscaping shrubs and bushes have a number of functions in the garden.

Shrubs and bushes, by virtue of their dimensions, are the one group of landscape plants that relate to human beings in terms of scale – both trees and low-growing plants being either beyond or beneath the size that relate to people.

bush gardens

The psychological significance of this “humanizing” function of shrubs and bushes, is usually missed by the average home gardener,

In the same vein, color is provided by landscape bush garden bushes that have colored foliage. Silver-leaved shrubs are a safer bet, because silver and grey, as with white or black, are not colors, but differing intensities of light.

Plants with gold-colored leaves make for a more subtle, gentle contrast with the mass of green-foliaged shrubs. The great advantage of fruiting shrubs over fruit trees, is that they are often far less vulnerable to pests and disease.

Pittosporum Tobira – The Perfect Landscape Bush For A Dry Climate And Mild Winter Garden
One of the best choices for a landscape bush in a mild winter, Mediterranean garden has to be Pittosporum tobira.

The dark-leaved varieties function perfectly as a backdrop to flowers or a sculpture, while the variegated types brighten up a shady corner.

Older bush garden plants can be pruned up to grow as small trees, while the plant associates beautifully with low bushes like Coprosma repens, Green Island Ficus, and the dwarf Melaleuca, “Green Dome”. Best of all is the dwarf variety of Pittosporum tobira, known as “Wheeler’s Dwarf”, a truly excellent foreground plant.

In terms of care, the Tobira is easy bush garden to grow, and modest in its water demands. Indeed overly frequent watering can cause plants to rot, particularly in heavy soils.

You may want to check out my other guide on garden planter and raised bed garden