The best replacement for shrubs is bushes.

The best alternatives to shrubs are rated as following:
★★★★★  bushes
★★★★  hedges
★★★  small trees
★★★  trees
★★  perennials
★★  trees for privacy
★  herbs
  grasses
  fence

Your alternative for shrubs is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about shrubs, one probably shouldn't forget about red berries in winter.

Other search terms related to shrubs and their ratings are:
★★★★★ red berries in winter
You have in mind a companion for shrubs and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of shrubs in all years. Click on graph for more.
shrubs
bushes
hedges