What does shrubbery mean?
Shrubbery names a collection or mass of shrubs. It is especially useful when the individual plants are not the main focus: a sentence about “thick shrubbery” describes the dense growth or the appearance of an area rather than counting separate plants. The word commonly evokes garden borders, woodland edges, hedges, and places where low vegetation has spread untended. It can suggest either deliberate planting and shelter or a somewhat wild, overgrown landscape. Because shrubbery is generally uncountable, expressions such as “a shrubbery” are uncommon, and the plural shrubberies is rare. When the individual plants matter, shrub or shrubs is usually the clearer choice. Shrubbery is nevertheless a useful and vivid word for describing vegetation as a collective feature of a place.
nounA group or mass of shrubs, especially when considered collectively as vegetation. The word can refer to a planted area filled with shrubs or to shrubs growing naturally along a boundary or in rough ground.
- A mass or collection of shrubs, often forming a planted border or an area of naturally occurring vegetation.
"A dense wall of shrubbery screened the house from the road."
"The gardener cleared a narrow path through the shrubbery."
"Their cottage is surrounded by orchard trees and dense shrubbery."
Usually uncountable; the plural is uncommon and can refer to separate areas or masses of shrubs.
"The two shrubberies were separated by a stone wall."
Shrubbery turns a simple patch of land into a characterful scene: it can frame a path, hide a fence, or make an ordinary garden feel unexpectedly wild.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shrubbery come from?
Shrubbery was formed in the 17th century from shrub, with the suffix -ery added to indicate a collection or place associated with something. Shrub itself belongs to a Germanic family of words connected with low, woody vegetation and is related to forms such as scrub and shrubby. The compound follows a common English pattern in which a suffix turns a word for a thing into a word for a collection, place, or body of that thing.
Related word forms
How shrubbery is actually used
Usually treated as an uncountable collective noun. In formal writing, a count noun such as shrubs or bushes may be preferred when referring to individual plants. The word is common in both British and American English.
Easily confused with shrubbery
A shrub is an individual woody plant, whereas shrubbery refers to shrubs collectively or as a mass of vegetation.
Scrub can mean low, stunted vegetation or the act of cleaning a surface, while shrubbery specifically denotes a collection or mass of shrubs.