A shrubbery is a collection or planting of shrubs, which are woody plants smaller than trees but larger than most flowers. While a single bush in your yard is just a shrub, several shrubs planted together as a group form a shrubbery.

Shrubberies often serve as borders around properties, creating natural fences that look better than plain walls. You might see them lining driveways, separating yards from sidewalks, or arranged decoratively in parks and gardens. Some shrubberies grow dense and thick, giving birds safe places to nest. Others stay neat and trim, especially when gardeners carefully prune them into shapes.

The word has an old-fashioned, slightly formal sound to it. Most people today would just say “shrubs” or “bushes,” but shrubbery appears frequently in classic British novels and formal gardening books. English manor houses traditionally featured elaborate shrubberies as part of their landscaping, where guests might walk along gravel paths surrounded by flowering and evergreen shrubs.

A landscape designer might plan where to plant a shrubbery, while a gardener maintains it by watering, fertilizing, and trimming the shrubs to keep them healthy and attractive.