A simple shrub is made from fruit, sugar, and . . . vinegar? Raise your glass to a surprising new taste sensation for cocktails and sophisticated sodas: Shrubs. Not the kind that grow in the ground, but a vintage drink mixer that will knock your socks off. “Mixologists across the country are reaching back through the centuries to reclaim vinegar’s more palatable past . . . embracing it as ‘the other acid,’ an alternative to the same-old-same-old lemons and limes,” said the New York Times. The history of shrubs, as revealed here, is as fascinating as the drinks are refreshing. These sharp and tangy infusions are simple to make and use, as you’ll discover with these recipes. Mix up some Red Currant Shrub for a Vermouth Cassis, or Apple Cinnamon Shrub to mix with seltzer, or develop your own with Michael Dietsch’s directions and step-by-step photographs. “Imagine a fizzy, soda-like drink that is drier and so much more sophisticated than soda, what with the sugar and botanical ingredients. Shrubs! Amazing! Wonderful!!” —Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist

A practical, ordinary person's guide to choosing, planting, and caring for the world's most popular plants, Shrubs & Hedges delivers all the know-how you'll need to grow beautiful, healthy shrubs. Whether they're flowering shrubs or evergreen hedges, these long-lived plants fill a lot of space in our landscapes; yet they don't capture as much attention as perennials, annuals, and even trees. The front doors and picture windows of millions of houses world-wide are adorned by shrubs. Despite their ubiquity, selecting and maintaining shrubs remains a mystery to many. Shrubs are all-too-often inappropriately pruned into "meatball" shapes, or alternatively, left to become an overgrown tangle of branches. But as you'll discover in the pages of Shrubs & Hedges, when cared for properly, these workhorse plants have much to offer. They mask foundations, delineate property lines, increase privacy, stabilize soils, provide food for wildlife, and add beauty and interest to the landscape. It’s time for shrubs to take center stage. Shrubs & Hedges eliminates the ambiguities of shrub selection and care by offering: Advice on how to pick the best shrubs for your growing conditions Plant profiles of both dependable classic shrubs and new rising stars Step-by-step propagation instructions for making more shrubs—for free! Shrub identification tips A lesson on the value of hedges and hedgerows The best shrubs for pollinators and other wildlife Pruning illustrations and tips to maximize shrub performance and health Tips for designing with shrubs Drawing on her decades of experience in the plant-care and landscape industries, author and horticulture educator Eva Monheim proves you don’t have to be a “gardener” to see the value in this extensive group of plants.

• Learn how to frame outdoor living spaces by selecting the best foundation of trees, shrubs, and woody vines. • Learn how to select woody plants for purpose, site adaptability, ornamental aspects, and care required. • Popular encyclopedia format illustrates features, uses, siting, and care for 250 woody plant species. • Detailed how-to for planting, pruning, maintenance, and pest control.

"Authoritative, up-to-date, and packed with information, this resource features: comprehensive coverage, including all native and naturalized trees, shrubs, and woody vines in Minnesota; color photographs of fruit, flowers, bark, and leaves of every species for easy identification; and vivid, accurate descriptions of each species' habitat, natural history, and ecology."--BOOK JACKET.

Shrubs are the perfect plant—they are low-maintenance, there is a variety for nearly every need, and they are widely available at garden centers and nurseries. In Shrubs, Andy McIndoe—one of the world’s foremost woody plant experts—offers the information and advice needed to pick the right shrub for every site and condition. With this handy guide, it’s easier than ever to decide which shrubs to add to your home garden. The book includes shrubs for challenging growing conditions, shrubs for restricted planting spaces, and shrubs chosen for their desirable characteristics, including hardiness in shade, difficult soil, and harsh conditions. Each plant profile includes complete growing information, color photographs, and recommended companion plants.

Photographs and text highlight the landscaping of trees and shrubs.

Discusses the role of trees and shrubs in the ecology of Kentucky, provides a guide to identification, and briefly describes each species