Wild animals use leaves, twigs and buds of the plant itself for food. Shrubs can provide shelter from predators or extreme weather, or to nest and raise young, especially when massed. Evergreen, thorny, or dense-branching shrubs usually offer the best shelter. When selecting shrubs, keep in mind the flowering and fruiting nature of the species. Try to incorporate shrubs that produce berries at different times of the year so that a food supply is always present for berry-eating wildlife.
Some shrubs are dioecious meaning that male and female flowers are born on separate plants.
If berries are desired as a food component, then at least one male should be planted near the females. Plant Shrubs Landscaping uses for shrubs are as varied as the choice of plants. Shrubs may be planted around the foundation of the house or as borders that serve as backdrops for perennial and annual plants. On large tracts, shrubs can be planted along cropland and forest edges or incorporated into hedgerows of trees and shrubs. Linking these larger blocks is increasingly important as suitable wildlife habitat becomes fragmented by development.