Your commercial landscaping can have the ability to greatly enhance your property’s overall value and enjoyment. But that’s assuming that it’s well-designed, thoughtfully installed, and properly cared for. On the flip side, when the commercial landscape becomes messy—or unnecessary mistakes were made—it can actually start to hurt your property value.

Here are a few of the most common commercial landscaping mistakes we see—and how they can be avoided. 

Mistake to Avoid: Poor Plant Choices

There’s a saying in the landscaping industry that goes “right plant, right place.” It sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised how often even professional landscapers install a plant somewhere that it’s not going to perform well. Poor plant choices are a common commercial landscaping mistake made by both amateurs, and sometimes even pros. The trouble with making a mistake like this is that you’re setting your plant material up for failure. If it’s installed somewhere that the conditions will not allow it to perform optimally, it’s going to be a constant struggle. That can be frustrating since it could mean investing in something new.

Mistake to Avoid: Failing to Consider Drainage

When a landscape design is completed without any consideration for drainage, it can be a recipe for disaster. The last thing that you need is a lot of standing water on your property that turns it into a muddy mess. You also don’t want to have to worry about water washing over hardscaping or causing puddles in your parking lot. That’s why it’s important that proper drainage is considered from the onset. Drainage concerns are avoidable with some forethought and planning.

Mistake to Avoid: Failing to Consider Traffic Flow

How people and vehicles move about your commercial property is important. We find that a common, but avoidable, commercial landscaping mistake is the failure to consider the flow of foot and vehicle traffic. Whether it’s parking lot islands with trees or flowers or its landscaping planted along your property’s walkways, it’s important that the landscaping does not hinder traffic flow in any way. Landscape plants or trees should also never block signage or make it difficult to read. 

Of course, avoiding this mistake means some big-picture thinking. While plants might look good now, your landscape professional should be thinking about how they’ll look and perform at full growth. You shouldn’t have to remove a perfectly good tree down the line because its branches extend into the road or block a sign.

Mistake to Avoid: Taking it On Yourself

Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that we sometimes see commercial properties get into trouble when they take on too much of the landscaping themselves. Whether it’s what seems like a simple installation job, or it’s ongoing maintenance, failing to lean on a professional could leave you with more work than you bargained for—or at higher risk of making landscaping mistakes that a pro will have to fix later.

In fact, while we find that a lot of people tackle DIY lawn and landscaping tasks as a means of attempting to save so many, the truth is that mistakes can be more costly than had the work been done right in the first place. Plus, a professional will have solutions for landscaping problems you might be dealing with which might even be able to save you money in the long run. Chances are, you’ve got enough on your plate already. Don’t let tackling your own landscaping services end up being a mistake you could have avoided.

If you have any landscaping needs; commercial or residential, don’t hesitate to give our team at Carruthers Landscaping a call at (972) 620-9560.