Have you ever spoken to your commercial landscape maintenance company about the natural lifecycles of your plants? If not, then it's something to pay attention to—because they should be guiding you on how to budget for future tree and plant replacements so that you never get left out of pocket.
It's a wonderful reality that your verdant commercial landscaping is a living and evolving thing. This creates the opportunity for continuing improvements as the right pruning and care regimen works wonders for extending the lifespan of your most precious specimens. However, it is also so important to work with a landscaping contractor who fully understands how plants age and can anticipate the shifting needs of a show-stopping landscape.
If you’re overseeing care of the grounds of a business, you're likely well aware of just how important initial impressions are, and while seasonal color rotation makes a big contribution, if there are shrubs, trees and other specimen plants that have reached the end of their lifespans, they can seriously detract from your company branding.
A proactive approach to the eventuality that you'll need to replace ornamental trees, shrubs, and other plantings from time to time is a vital element of kick-starting your landscape service with a great budget. After all, from a budgeting standpoint, these types of landscape improvements may be considered capital expenditures rather than landscaping expenses. So, to help you put your best foot forward, we asked FloraTerra's President, Gene Ebertowski Jr. to provide insight on how to make any necessary replacements on budget and on time.
When it comes to client-vendor relationships in the world of commercial landscape maintenance, establishing trust through great communication is a must. This not only helps you convey wants and needs to your commercial landscape maintenance contractor, but it also involves them sharing key cost information with you ahead of time, mitigating potential surprises.
We asked Gene how hard it is to communicate to customers that they’ll soon be needing new plant material, and he explained that he doesn’t hesitate to communicate this type of property news because it's the best way to offer his clients value that they can depend on. For lasting results in commercial landscaping, both proactive plant health care and timely plant replacements are essential for aesthetics and longevity.
In fact, Gene maintains that his commitment to communication is the driving force behind the strength of FloraTerra's client relationships and the success of his business—and in the case of being able to prepare for and select the best replacement trees for your landscape, it’s a whole lot easier when there is a trusting partnership between you and your landscaping team.
Another tactic that Gene and his team recommend is implementing commercial landscape design that incorporates slower-growing specimen plants and perennials with the addition of strategically placed evergreens that will fill in and lend supporting eye appeal for a few years until the longer-lived plantings can take their rightful position as the true focal point.
He also points out how empowering it is that, when it comes replacing plants, trees and hedges that have lived out their lifespans, you can leverage a natural opportunity to shape your future landscaping strategy. For example, after enlisting professional tree removal services, you are absolutely free to decide whether to choose replacements of the same variety, or explore a more sustainable and drought-resilient new commercial landscape design.
If you have a significant number of plants that have declined due to age, it's a great moment to consider going with a completely new commercial landscape design for your business that is also low-maintenance and water-wise. If, on the other hand, you’re only replacing a few plants here and there, it may be more cost-effective to use the same kind of plant material to keep thriving outdoor areas looking their absolute best.
When switching out one plant species for another, Gene recommends using trees, shrubs and other plants that will have the best chance to survive and thrive in your climate and soil conditions, while avoiding those prone to disease and drought stress. If you’re not familiar with the differences, there is will always be an expert available to guide you at FloraTerra Landscape Management.
We asked Gene to explain why replacing plants, trees and shrubberies before they’re just completely dead matters so much, and his answer is simple: “Well, just from a curb appeal standpoint, the longer you allow something to deteriorate, the less curb appeal you'll have.”
Being one step ahead of these natural transitions also allows for optimized timing. As Gene went on to explain, if something is failing early in the season, it’s better to remove the plant since open space looks better than a deteriorated plant or tree. However, it’s smart to wait until peak planting time, when conditions are most favorable, to replace it, so it will have the best opportunity to become established, acclimate and flourish.
So, how do you know when it’s time to start budgeting for new plant material? According to Gene, it all starts with routine quality inspections that accompany things like commercial tree trimming, where his team looks for a number of things like drought or other damage, signs of pests or disease, and whether or not a planting has just about lived out its useful life. Additionally, FloraTerra will also walk the property with their customer several times a year so they can share timely observations and keep them in the know.
Gene and his team have mastered the art of collaborating with customers to find solutions that work. After an expert assessment, this might include phasing any tree selection services and new plantings into multiple budget cycles, with planting scheduled at the right time of year—which is usually fall—for optimal results.
His service doesn’t stop there though, because he also said, “One of the things that we really work with the customer on is helping them forecast these needs in a budget. We’ll actually prepare their commercial landscape maintenance budget a year in advance to give them plenty of time to present it to the decision-makers, so they can be prepared and budget for it.”
There is skill required in commercial landscape maintenance, not only because drought and weather can wreak havoc on landscaping, including trees and shrubs, but also because all plants have a natural lifecycle that needs to be anticipated.
A strong strategy for seasonal shrubbery and plant care will certainly help buffer your elegant landscape design against the impacts of climate change, but the very best commercial landscape contractor will help you look to the future in a more multi-faceted way. So, if you’re interested in exploring possibilities for your aging landscape, get in touch with FloraTerra Landscape Management today.
We’ll walk your grounds with you, assess your needs, and help you elevate your commercial property’s brand and aesthetics—all while keeping your company’s best interests in mind. So get the ball rolling by calling us at 408.275.1200 or clicking here to find out more.
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FloraTerra and our affiliates are conveniently based throughout the greater bay area. As a leading commercial landscape company, we specialize in multi-building sites, homeowners associations, medical office, corporate campus developments, industrial warehouse, commercial office, retail, shopping malls and common interest property.
Since 1998, our company and partners have installed and maintain some of the most prestigious commercial developments throughout the Greater Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
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