If you’re a business owner or manager, maintaining a commercial landscape requires a little more care and attention than a residential landscape because not only should it be beautiful and functional, it should be safe for your employees, customers or clients, and the general public.

Edges are the most important part of any landscaped space.

So how do you balance commercial landscape maintenance for beauty, neatness, and safety? It starts with keeping it well-groomed at all times to ensure that it doesn’t gradually get out of control and become a hazard. Unchecked, plants can grow out of control and make it difficult to see and move around.  As shrubs grow larger and tree branches start to grow out and down, they can encroach on walkways and block driveway and parking lot lines-of-sight, endangering both drivers and pedestrians. Thin, packed down, or worn areas can promote erosion, creating uneven and unstable areas that can become hazardous.

To properly maintain your commercial landscape for both neatness and safety requires the consideration of three things: 

1. Timing

Landscape care and maintenance tasks should be done at the right time for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Notice that we mentioned both efficiency and effectiveness – you can schedule landscaping tasks to make efficient use of time and resources, but if the timing is wrong, your landscape care won’t be effective.

It’s important to water, prune, and mulch at the right times to take full advantage of environmental conditions, plant growth cycles, and the seasons. This not only makes sense from Nature’s perspective, it maximizes the effectiveness of your landscape care and maintenance activities, saving you time, money, and resources in the long run.       

2. Practices

Utilizing the correct practices and methods for commercial landscape maintenance is crucial. You need to use the right tools for the right plants and practices, such as pruning. Sharp, clean cutting tools are essential for proper pruning as well as for safety for both plants and personnel. Unlike dull blades that can shred and maim plant shoots and branches, sharp cutting blades provide a clean cut that minimizes damage and promotes healing. Likewise, clean tools provide maximum work efficiency and help prevent the spread of plant diseases.

3. Edges

Surprised by this one? Don’t be. Edges are the most important part of any landscaped space. In fact, edges are the most active and transitional areas in nature: sun and shade, fields and woods, land and water. Humans navigate by edges: streets and sidewalks, defined walkways and grassy areas or plant beds. Well-maintained edges promote safety while poorly maintained edges improve the chance for injury; for example, a pile of leaves by a curb can hide the edge, causing people to trip and fall. Poorly defined hardscape edges can cause vehicles to hit plants and trees and accidently run off roads, driveways, and parking areas. Sharp, clearly-discernible edges are not only neater and more attractive, they promote safety. 

Tweetable Tip: Utilizing the correct practices and methods for commercial landscape maintenance is crucial. http://ctt.ec/4HzU3+ 

By carefully considering these three factors as well as the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your commercial landscape maintenance, you’ll not only be promoting the health and well-being of your landscape and the people who use it, you’ll be promoting your business as well.