Answer:
Each shrub is $9.
Step-by-step explanation:
You are looking for the price of the shrub plants. Since you know that the plants' price with the soil's price totals the purchase at $53.50, your equation should look like this:
[tex]4p + 17.50 = 53.50[/tex]
After that, use the order of operations to solve the price of the shrubs.
[tex]4p + 17.50 = 53.50 \\4p + 17.50-17.50 = 53.50-17.50\\4p = 36\\4p/4 = 36/4\\p=9[/tex]