Most commercial property managers will eventually admit that sometimes the landscaping around the building is the last of their concerns. When the lawn mowing comes up against health and safety concerns, probably the grass is just going to get a little long.
However, landscaping neglected too long can also become a health or safety concern. When an overgrown tree branch accidentally snags one of your customers, or landscaping brick shifts and creates a tripping hazard, you’ll wish you hadn’t put off that outdoor maintenance.
The good news is that all your common landscaping problems can be managed easily by your friendly local landscape experts. Together, there are five main things we’ll want to keep an eye one.
As long as water isn’t getting into your building, you might think your drainage is doing OK. You might be right.
You also might find out you’ve been wrong one morning when your favorite shoes end up submerged in stormwater on your walk into the office. Or worse, you discover a leaky downspout as your legs fly out from under you on an icy patch.
Spare your shoes and your tailbone and keep your drainage system maintained. The eyes of trained landscape experts will help you spot those potential ice slicks, parking lot puddles, dangerous new cracks and sinking spots in your landscape. Even more, they can tell you how to get those things fixed before you or one of your customers gets hurt.
Unfortunately, when your plants sit wet overnight, they are more susceptible to diseases. Early morning tends to be the best time to water your plants before the strength of the sun’s evaporating rays is fully up. The wind is also kinder to irrigation systems in the morning, keeping more of your water where you want it and less on the sidewalks.
If you’re having trouble getting your watering timed or placed just right, it’s time to get your landscaping professionals on the scene. Efficient and timely watering will save you money, keep your plants happy, and your customers dry.
Outside of regular watering, the best thing you can do to keep your trees and shrubs healthy is to make sure they are pruned regularly. Skipping this important steps can result in misshapen and weak branches that become safety hazards in extreme weather. Further, mismanaged trees and shrubs are more susceptible to disease, they are more likely to start growing in places they shouldn’t (into your building, for example).
Ultimately, replacing trees or repairing your building’s foundation will cost much more than regular pruning.
Don’t skip the pruning. Regular pruning by an experienced landscaping consultant can save you from many future problems.
Living in Michigan, we frequently think about snow removal. But when you’re managing a commercial property, you probably need to also think about snow storage.
A big snow can lead to enough snow to block your entrances or clog your parking lot. Without a plan for snow storage, you may end up with snow pushed into the wrong places, blocking key driveways and damaging your lawn or landscaping. Oddly, snow storage is one of the most common landscaping challenges.
An all-in-one landscape contractor can help you determine good places for plows to push and store snow. They can recommend landscape components, such as rolled curbs, that will help prevent landscape damage.
It seems like just as the snow all finally melts away, the rabbit nests start appearing and then mosquitos arrive. We don’t begrudge insects and critters their place in the great outdoors, but it’s best for us all if they aren’t living or breeding in your landscaping.
All they need is food, water, ideal temperatures, and a breeding area. Without a trained eye on your landscaping, you might just be creating the perfect environment for all four.
Thorough visual inspections by a landscape expert in the spring can prevent infestations later in the year. Plus, they can help you choose or fix landscaping components that will deter fury and six-legged friends from taking up residence near your building, to begin with.
At Twin Oaks Landscape, we enjoy helping our commercial clients solve these problems before they become big issues. As a team of experts, we are proud to offer a whole host of options to keep your commercial space abuzz with customers (and not with insects).
We create unique landscape solutions for all of our clients because we understand that no two problems are exactly the same. Call Twin Oaks Landscape today and we can create your specialized commercial landscape plan that will eliminate existing problems and catch new ones before they start. Don’t let your landscaping become a point of stress this season.
