Commercial Landscaping Blog for The San Jose | Bay Area, CA

The early part of 2015 is an excellent time to plan your landscape maintenance services and landscape improvement projects you want to accomplish on your Bay Area commercial property. Not every service is required every year, so what’s on the calendar for this year? Does the lawn need renovation? Do you need to upgrade your irrigation system? Is it time for a landscape upgrade?

Trees have a life span, some living longer than others. That might somewhat irrational, but dead trees on commercial properties are more common than one might think. Weekly landscape crews may not see or address these problems in their weekly site visits for a variety of reasons. The real question is: How can you tell if a tree is declining on your commercial property?

Accessibility has always been a topic in the initial construction planning process and installation on a commercial property landscaping. There are several factors to review including handicap access to a property. Some things to consider in light of creating improved accessibility include widening walk ways for the physically impaired or wheel chair access, widening the entrances to buildings and the accessibility to lighting switches.

Accessible landscaping is important for the handicap and disabled and should be considered in the designing and planning process! So let’s consider this aspect of the commercial landscape design.

There are so many different types of commercial properties in the Bay Area. From large multi complex buildings to single building properties and no two landscapes are similar.

At FloraTerra we have had some clients that have asked questions about the management of their water and how we can help them on their commercial properties. Considering the immediate bay area drought and water agency restrictions, you’re certainly not alone and have someone that you can turn to if you need help in this area. With those challenges in our forefront, let’s take a look at some common water management challenges we see on commercial landscapes and some solutions on how to manage them. 

Chances are landscaping is high on your priority list, and rightfully so. Maintaining high maintenance landscaping is a budget expense that seems to creep up, some of the costs include sprinkler and irrigation repairs, replacing dead flowers and tree pruning just to name a few. In spite of the many reasons renovation gets pushed off, there is supporting evidence that property managers and building owners should consider the cost of upgrading older high maintenance landscaping.

There are many benefits of mulch some of which include moisture retention weed control and landscape appearance, but too much of anything is never a good thing.

Excessive amounts of mulch can harbor problems like disease, pest and create the perfect environment for other challenges like fungal infections around your plants and trees.

A micro thin layer of mulch on the other hand is not enough to block the weeds and control the soils moisture levels.

In most sustainable landscape designs, ornamental landscape beds and perimeter landscaping should receive, 1.5 to 2 inches of mulch. For problematic weed areas, install a 2-3 inch layer of mulch may be necessary.

Many materials available in the bay area for commercial lawn services include fir bark which is very expensive, and fades out over a short period of time. So consider using environmentally friendly recycled materials that have been died with natural colors like mahogany or cedar color and are safe for the environment lasting much longer than conventional fir bark.

With older landscaping, it’s important to provide the best landscaping pruning practices to keep things under control and looking fresh throughout the year.

When the pruning is done correctly, it helps revitalize a plants appearance, keeping it uniform, clean and green. Pruning can certainly help in many ways including extending the plants lifespan. This actually may be one of the most important investments you make in regards to your commercial landscaping service.

If you understand the benefits of renovation pruning , scheduling this important service at the right time of the year helps in many ways. Read on and you’ll understand why it is so important for your commercial landscaping service.

The plantings around your properties building perimeter can make a big difference in many ways. Having the right plants to tolerate the cold weather is part of the equation for great foundation plants but plant material that is interfering with window views, walk way and crowding out the others is another factor to consider. Planting the right combination of foliage and plants will ultimately impact your landscaping design one way or the other. The real challenge for most commercial landscape companies is deciding on the right balance of plants that can tolerate the cold and fit into your design.

There are many choices when it comes to using low impact landscaping materials. New and non-recyclable materials used in landscapes increase the needs for additional resources for manufacturing and distribution, and then create additional disposal when they are eradicated -- they should be designed to be recycled. Non-recyclable materials generate additional waste in landscapes: disposal sites, large incinerator factories, and multi-square-floating disposal systems in our oceans.

FloraTerra implements strategies to help our clients green their properties, yielding improved public perception, increased profits, and greener landscaping.

Sustainable landscape management encourages the systems created by nature: healthy soils supporting healthy plants. The foundation of "sustainable green landscaping" requires the plants and soils to be viewed as extensions of one another, existing in a perfect symbiotic relationship. This holistic, "bottom up" focus contrasts with the conventional maintenance mindset of treating specific plant health conditions from the "top down" through the application of synthetic chemicals and materials.

Understanding all environmental conditions within a landscape, including public use patterns as well aesthetic expectations is vital to creating a successful maintenance program. Our programs are continuously adjusted to meet the needs of our client’s properties.