5 Tips for Improving Neglected Commercial Landscapes

As a Greater Chicago property manager in charge of commercial properties in the area, you know the daily struggle.

If you’re in charge of a particularly competitive space, such as an office park, retail center, warehouse, or HOA, you know that remaining relevant and attractive to new customers and tenants is crucial to retaining business and getting noticed in your community.

That’s where neglected landscaping can let you down. What do you need?

• Healthy Turf
• A Neat & Tidy Appearance
• Seasonal Flowers for Color
• Cost-Saving Commercial Landscape Improvements
• A Proactive Commercial Landscaping Team On Your Side

Let’s discuss improvements to commercial landscapes by incorporating bright, bold colors, maintaining a lush, healthy lawn, and implementing a proactive maintenance plan to ensure your exterior remains attractive and in good condition.

The Negatives of Neglected Landscaping

Neglected landscaping on a commercial property is never a good idea.

Why? Because it can significantly decrease curb appeal, deter potential customers, create safety hazards due to overgrown, negatively impact property value, and give the impression of poor management, potentially damaging the business's reputation and image.

Think about it: a poorly managed landscape can make people think your business is unprofessional. It can also create tripping hazards, obstruct visibility, and increase the risk of accidents and liability risks.

Uncontrolled vegetation can also provide breeding grounds for pests and diseases, impacting the overall health of your commercial landscape. It can also limit access to utilities, building entrances, and other important areas.

And all of this can increase the costs of maintaining your commercial landscaping.

Focus on these key strategies to keep your commercial property looking its best and avoid the negative impacts of neglect.

1. Healthy Turf

An expanse of healthy turf is a reassuring sign to your visitors that your commercial property is well-tended.

A lawn care program that includes regular and proper fertilization and proactive weed control can give your lawn the polish it needs to stay healthy and work for your business.

A green, thick lawn will also hold up better against insects, diseases, bare spots, and the need for renovation, preventing bigger issues.

Your service provider should offer this essential and simple commercial landscaping task as part of its program to keep your site healthy overall.

2. A Neat & Tidy Appearance

Neglected landscaping can happen from a lack of regular cleanup, too.

Debris and a messy, overgrown appearance all look unsightly and add to decreased curb appeal.

Having a commercial crew that properly prunes trees and shrubs, removes leaves and debris, pulls weeds, and keeps your property fresh based on what each season delivers (removing leaves in fall, for instance), keeps your property looking polished and professional.

They even include trash pickup as part of their services, and that goes a long way when you have a super busy, high-trafficked property to ensure neatness.

3. Seasonal Flowers For Color

Bright, bold, inviting flower beds can attract big attention, drawing in customers, visitors, and tenants to your commercial property.

Some seasons may seem like a no-brainer here. Bulbs planted in fall that bloom in spring make your property the envy of the area when those first pops of color wake people up from a dreary and gray winter.

In summer, color rules with the most striking displays stealing the show.

When fall hits, there are rich colors in mums, ornamental kale and peppers, pansies, and violas that can add impressive color until frost. And then, you can continue with a festive spirit over the winter holidays with berries, evergreens, and lights.

Target your color on highly visible commercial landscaping areas, such as main entrances, signage, and walkways. Containers can also add texture and color and masses of color in landscape beds.

4. Cost-Saving Commercial Landscape Improvements

Since you’re competing with many other commercial properties for the attention of customers, shoppers, visitors, and tenants, you must maintain your site and implement cost-efficient commercial landscape installations.

Bolstering your seasonal color with low-maintenance perennials can bring attractive color and texture to your property. Since they don’t need to be replaced yearly like annuals, they are one-time costs and can last long when properly maintained.

Incorporating smart irrigation strategies is also an improvement that can keep your landscaping looking great and save water by reducing waste. A smart controller, for instance, can monitor weather conditions and turn the system off if it’s raining.

Managing drainage issues can also help you avoid complications leading to the instability of hardscape features, standing water, or excess erosion. Investing in proper grading and drainage systems can help mitigate potential drainage problems before they arise.

5. A Proactive Commercial Landscaping Team On Your Side

A commercial property can go from super to suffering pretty fast.

All it takes is a bunch of weeds invading your turf and landscape beds, a pest infestation of your trees and shrubs, neglected plants and flowers that become wild, or lots of trash to pile up to give your facility a nasty first impression.

To avoid this, you want a company that offers commercial landscape design in Greater Chicago that implements a proactive plan, looking for signs of potential problems and addressing issues quickly to ensure your site stays away from neglect.

They visit your property regularly, walk your site, and inspect everything to ensure your facility stays in good shape, elevating curb appeal and boosting business.

Need Commercial Landscape Renovation? Give KD Landscape a Call

Managing a commercial landscape in the highly competitive Greater Chicago area can be tough.

Putting your best face forward with smart commercial landscape improvements can ensure your property avoids neglect and needs serious repair.

Let KD Landscape help. We’d be happy to review your brand image, goals, and concerns and suggest great ways to reinvent your commercial property landscape. This will help you meet your short—and long-term goals within your budget.

Want to learn more about how we can help you amplify your commercial landscape design and maintenance in Greater Chicago? Get started today with a free quote. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice.