Commercial Landscape Upgrades that are Budget and Eco-Friendly

Transforming your commercial landscape from a vision into reality is more complex than sprinkling some new plants around your property and adding water features to your common areas. If you want to truly upgrade your commercial property and help it reach its full potential, you will want to work with a local landscaping company that can guide you through the process.

As you chase perfection, keep in mind that two key components of landscaping–budget and sustainability–should play a vital role in your decision-making. In other words, your property should not only create a wonderful environment for your residents and visitors to enjoy, but also fit your budget and contribute to a sustainable future.

To help you through the process of upgrading your commercial landscape, we’ve used our 25 years of experience to compile cost-saving landscape tips for property managers that will also benefit the environment. Talk about a landscaping win-win!

Budget-Friendly Sustainable Landscaping for Commercial Properties

At Landcrafters, we believe you can have the best of both worlds when it comes to crafting eco-friendly commercial landscaping in Florida while adhering to a budget. All it takes is a little know-how, thoughtful planning, and a professional touch. The good news? We can provide all three of those things in spades (pun intended).

While every property is different, even in an area like Tampa Bay, there are some universal tips that you can apply to your property’s transformation. The key is determining which tips will benefit your property the most, then executing them in the right way. If you do, your upgraded landscape will thrive for years to come.

Choosing to improve your commercial landscape has many benefits. It increases your curb appeal, attracts new visitors, boosts your property value, creates functional outdoor spaces, and more. In other words, there are a number of compelling reasons to invest in your property and watch it flourish.

Play to Your Property’s Strengths

Even in a specific geographic area, the differences between properties can be profound. This is certainly true of the Tampa Bay area. For example, one property may be entirely flat and located miles from the coast, while another may have variations in elevation and be exposed to the salty environment of the gulf.

Understanding your property’s unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses is key to making informed choices about your landscaping. Choose the wrong plants, and you could be stuck with expensive maintenance (or end up replacing them entirely). There’s nothing eco- or budget-friendly about that!

We recommend working with an experienced landscaping company to evaluate your property and develop a path forward that achieves your goals without breaking the bank or harming the environment. With a plan in place, you can play to your property’s strengths and enjoy the advantages of doing so.

Take Some (Calculated) Risks

Sometimes, commercial properties are a bit bashful about breaking the mould and going against the grain. While we understand not creating a polarizing environment, taking calculated risks that break the norm can pay huge dividends when upgrading your landscape.

From hardscaping to wildflowers, certain budget-friendly commercial landscape upgrades might be uncommon, but they can be phenomenal additions to your property that help it stand out while also checking that eco-friendly commercial landscaping in Florida box that you have in mind.

In addition to giving your commercial property a unique visual edge that contrasts the competition, opting for certain rule-breakers, like wildflowers, benefits the environment by attracting pollinators and providing food and shelter for local wildlife.

Plant Perennials

Annuals may be the gold standard of beauty in the world of flowers, but the effort and maintenance required to keep them vibrant and in bloom is a serious consideration. You may end up replacing them three times in a single year, leading to intense labor demands and expensive landscaping bills.

Perennials are the opposite of annuals in many ways. Not only do they only need to be planted once, but they also require less water to thrive. With minimal maintenance and rare replacement, they will return every year to light up your landscape with beautiful blossoms.

If you want to embrace sustainable landscaping for commercial properties, choosing perennials over annuals is a simple but effective way to save money, preserve resources, and upgrade your property in a real, tangible way.

Go with Gravel

Mulch is a popular landscaping element, and for good reason. It looks fantastic, helps prevent erosion, stifles weeds, regulates soil temperature and moisture, and more. The downside? Mulch is not among the best budget-friendly commercial landscape upgrades, nor is it particularly sustainable. If those two factors matter to you, and there’s a good chance they do, you should consider opting for gravel or stones instead.

Unlike mulch, gravel is a one-time expense that you will rarely (if ever) need to replace or refresh. The impact this has on your annual landscaping budget adds up quickly, especially over the course of years.

Better still, gravel is versatile. You can use it as you would mulch, around the base of trees, in planters, and even as an alternative to pavement in parking areas. The latter option helps reduce the “heat island effect” that intensifies the sun’s heat, benefiting the overall climate. Now, that’s a nice little bonus!

Embrace Xeriscaping

One of the biggest drains on commercial landscaping budgets is water use, especially irrigation. While there are ways to reduce your water usage while maintaining a verdant property (see below), xeriscaping is an alternative approach to landscaping that helps dramatically reduce your property’s need for regular watering.

More of a philosophy than a hard-and-fast set of rules, xeriscaping focuses on populating your property with drought-tolerant plants, strategically placing plants that have similar water demands, leveraging mulch to reduce evaporation, and opting for hardscaping where appropriate.

In addition to drastically reducing the need for water, xeriscaping encourages efficient irrigation when necessary. From soaker hoses to smart irrigation systems, the means to the end are dependent on your property and its specific needs.

Invest in Smart Irrigation

Florida’s climate makes sustainable landscaping for commercial properties quite the challenge. From periods of drought to rapid evaporation in the intense sun, there is no shortage of hurdles to overcome when it comes to eco-friendly commercial landscaping in Florida, especially when it comes to irrigation.

Thankfully, you can save money and water by investing in a smart irrigation system. These systems use a variety of technologies to help your plants thrive while conserving water. They take into account the weather, climate, and time of day, monitor themselves for leaks and potential problems, deliver precise amounts of water with accuracy, and otherwise take the guesswork out of irrigation and conservation.

The result is healthier plants, fewer irrigation issues and repairs, reduced water usage, and one happy commercial landscaping budget!

Don’t Neglect Native Plants

While Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas are friendly to many non-native plants, there are distinct advantages to populating your property with a healthy amount of native options. Because native plants are proven to thrive in the area where they naturally occur, this is one of the top cost-saving landscape tips for property managers that is often overlooked.

Plant turnover is a serious issue for commercial properties, as the expense of replacing struggling plants can add up quickly. Even if non-native plants don’t need to be replaced, the increased maintenance costs can put a serious dent in your budget. Excess watering, frequent checkups, and other maintenance demands are not cheap, nor do they benefit the environment.

Native plants tend to eliminate many of these potential problems and increased maintenance demands. Don’t get us wrong; native plants still require regular maintenance to look and perform their best, but the burden is dramatically reduced compared to most non-native options. With fewer resources required to keep them healthy and beautiful, native plants can revolutionize your property and budget as you upgrade your landscaping.

Opt for Groundcover

Florida is well known for its lush lawns that extend as far as the eye can see. There’s no question that these stunning stretches of grass are gorgeous, especially when maintained year-round. However, they also consume a massive amount of resources and water, making them a drain on your budget and the environment.

We’ll never encourage you to ditch your grassy open spaces entirely, but opting for groundcover where it makes sense can save you a bundle and reduce your reliance on irrigation. Groundcover tends to require far less maintenance than grass. The need to mow, water, weed, fertilize, and more is drastically decreased, if not eliminated.

Work with a Professional Landscaper in Tampa Bay

All of the budget-friendly commercial landscape upgrades mentioned here can revolutionize your property for the better. In fact, your dream commercial landscape could be within reach if you employ the right tips in a thoughtful, effective manner.

The best way to ensure that your eco-friendly commercial landscaping in Florida truly takes root, however, is to work with an experienced local professional. Landcrafters has been helping Tampa Bay property managers create their idyllic landscapes for over 25 years, and we’ve learned a thing or two about protecting the environment and your budget in that time.

Reach out to us today to discuss your next project. Whether it’s a small upgrade or a total refresh, our team of experts will gladly guide you through the process and help you put together an actionable plan for reaching your goals.