Acustomer went to a garden shop and bought some potting soil for 17.50 and shrubs. if the total bill was $71.00, how much did each shurb cost if they all cost the same? write and solve an equation. show your work

You left out the number of shrubs. 
It should be right after "... $17.50 and ___".

I'll just have to call it ' S ' .

-- The total bill was $71 .
   The potting soil cost $17.50 .
   So the shrubs cost ($71 - $17.50) = $53.50 .

-- If each shrub cost the same amount,
   and he bought 'S' shrubs,
   then the price of each shrub was

                           $53.50 / S .

If I knew what ' S ' was, I could solve this equation.