Tag Archive for: Why hire a landscaper

5 Ways Landscaping Impacts a Business

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How important is landscaping to the success of your business? If you have an outdoor dining establishment, for example, the ambiance created by well-designed plantings and accessories can be critical. An office-based business, on the other hand, may not seem to need pleasant views and spaces, but you may be surprised to find otherwise. Discover five ways that landscaping impacts a business and decide whether commercial landscaping can help improve your profits.

1. First Impressions Send Subjective Messages

If you have a small business selling goods and services from a physical storefront, you know that first impressions are always important. Harmonious and visually pleasing combinations of plants and accessible, easily traveled pathways give first-time potential customers or clients a positive image. Formal landscapes may suit corporate businesses, while more casual garden surrounds can match a relaxed dining style.

The style of your landscaping and its upkeep impacts your business by telling customers with a swift glance whether the business appears to be thriving or struggling. A positive first impression is crucial for companies to attract customers and entice them into the establishment. Unfortunately, neglected plantings, half-dead pot plants, or damaged garden surrounds can all send subliminal messages to people that the business is struggling or doesn’t care about attention to detail. That’s not the impression any business should want to impart.

2. Landscaping That Doesn’t Match Your Business Needs

If you’ve ever walked past a storefront with a bland exterior, little window dressing, and some neglected pot plants, you’ve probably just kept on walking. Mismatches in storefront presentation and landscaping with the needs of your business can make a severe dent in profits. Customers are primarily fickle and will readily turn to nearby competitors who provide pleasing business-aligned shopping or dining experiences.

Customers are extremely sensitive to environmental surroundings, often assessing where to shop or dine based on access to shade or sunlight depending on the weather. Other landscaping benefits that business owners don’t capitalize on include failure to provide accessible pathways. Outdated décor, lack of green space, and no benches or seating to rest are all negatives in competitive markets.

Commercial landscaping can assist customers’ physical and psychological needs as they interact with businesses. Landscaping benefits include the transformation of the blandest outdoor sites into customer-enticing showpieces.

3. Attract Customers with Seasonal Design and Greenery

Taking a seasonal approach to beautifying your business is challenging but can be very worthwhile. Refreshing plantings occasionally with blooming annuals and perennials is an artful way to attract customers. Just make sure you time this to coincide with peak shopping periods. This type of green maintenance and upgrade to your business can be readily addressed by scheduling commercial landscaping ahead of time.

4. Your Business’s Landscaping Can Impact Customer Safety

Every year many injuries are sustained by business customers due to unsafe environments. Problems arising outdoors mainly focus on faulty footpaths and a lack of flat walking or wheelchair-suitable areas. Many businesses present a challenge to the infirm, disabled, or elderly through failure to meet accessibility standards.

Installing or upgrading hardscape features is the key to resolving many accessibility problems and improving mobility through the outdoor environment. If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘hardscaping,’ it refers to the hard, functional elements in business surroundings. These include ramps and steps, concrete, paved, or gravel walkways overhead shelter from the rain along paths and business frontages; and flexible overhead covers for dining areas.

5. The Positive Effect of Smart Landscape Architecture on Employees

As human beings, we crave being outdoors in gardens and other natural environments. This trend is reflected in contemporary housing, where large picture windows, sliding glass doors, and backyard patios all work to bring the outdoors in.

Employees working indoors for much of the day can find relaxation and respite from stressful environments in commercial landscaping. Benches set amongst the greenery, quiet private nooks set amongst trees and bushes, or corporate BBQ areas, are all outdoor elements that can enhance employee satisfaction with their workplace.

Outdoor breaks away from desks can enhance productivity by allowing staff time to reflect on issues and work through problems. The change in environment is refreshing to both mind and spirit, even in short breaks.

Need Commercial Landscaping in Northern Virginia?

If you need landscaping to improve the outdoor areas of your business, get in touch with us at State of the Art Landscape. We provide superior landscaping design, along with greening, hardscaping, lawn and turf maintenance, and numerous other outdoor enhancements. Our attention to detail is impeccable, and landscaping benefits for your business will be maximized.

The Ultimate Winter Maintenance Checklist

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Winter can cause serious and irreversible damage to a home if preventative maintenance is not complete. Everything from outdoor furniture to walkways, lawns, and garden beds can suffer due to the harsh conditions the season brings.

That’s why preventative maintenance is essential to the landscape. These simple tasks below are guaranteed to prevent the harsh conditions from taking a toll on your outdoor space.

1. Clean Gutters and Downspouts

 Although not the most glamorous of tasks, cleaning out gutters and downspouts is one of the most critical things owners can do to prepare their property for the winter.

Gutters and downspouts help with proper drainage throughout the colder months and will need to be clear of any leaves, debris, or garbage that could be blocking its path. Otherwise, without a clear path, water and ice can quickly build up leading to water overflows and ice dams. Both of which could result in a costly repair bill to the gutter and building.

Further, the gutters and downspouts should be checked to see that they are in good working condition. Meaning, that there are no holes, sags, or missing parts that could cause a mess if won’t drain properly.

2. Complete a Roof Check

Another area of a building that owners will need to check is the roof. Every fall, it’s important to complete an inspection of it by examining the condition that the shingles are in. Of course, this process is best handled by a professional who will know exactly what to look for and what is cause for concern.

While on the roof, they will be looking for any obvious signs of damage such as missing or curling shingles. These will likely need to be replaced before winter comes given that they can turn into a more serious problem. That’s because the freezing and thawing can result in water damage to the roof and building if they are loose.

3. Feed the Lawn

To have your grass looking its best post-winter, make sure to complete maintenance on it in the fall. This is because the grass will actually begin to store food for itself as soon as temperatures drop. To do this, make sure that the area is fertilized at least once or twice in the fall. That way, come spring, the lawn will come up faster and greener.

4. Prepare the Deck

 If you live in an area that gets snow and ice over the winter, it is critical to prepare any features like a deck, pergola, or veranda. Doing this is simple, yet essential, to maintaining these features for years to come.

To prepare them for winter start by giving them a good wash. This can be done by hand, or with the help of a professional who can power wash it to remove any grime and dirt. While doing this, it is also a good opportunity for owners to inspect it for any loose boards, nails, holes, debris, or issues.

Also, keep in mind, that if you’ve been thinking of staining or changing the look of it, fall is the perfect time to do this given the cool temperatures that allow you to stain and seal it.

5. Store Your Tools

Tools should not be left outside during the harsh winter months. This can cause them to rust, degrade and even possibly break due to the change in weather. This is especially true for any gas-operated tools which can become difficult to re-start and use in the spring if they have not been properly stored. If you do have gas-powered tools, owners will need to either drain them or add a fuel stabilizer to ensure that it does not degrade the item as it gets cold.

While storing these tools, it’s also a good idea to pull out and prepare any winter item you will need to use. For example, things like shovels and snow blowers should be checked in the fall. That way, once the first snowfall hits owners are prepared, regardless of what it brings.

Winter Maintenance Checklist

At State of the Art Landscaping, we know first-hand how important it is to prepare your outdoor space for the winter. That’s why we believe in using a professional to guide you through what needs to be done. Someone like us can assess, customize, and help you create the ultimate winter maintenance checklist for your space.

If you want to learn what needs to be done around your property this fall, consider getting in touch with a member of our team today.

Why Hire A Landscaping Company?

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Many people find gardening highly gratifying, especially when they are able to admire their own handy work year after year. But there’s no mistaking it, gardening is work. Landscaping can be an overwhelming prospect even for people with green thumbs. Understanding the complexities of design and making that design work with the right plants that will thrive in their new environment takes some planning and expertise.

That’s where professional landscaping comes in. They have the expertise to take your vision and turn it into a living, breathing garden. They use your ideas or can provide their own, to create stunning gardens and landscapes that elevate the enjoyment of your property. Here’s why hiring a landscaping company makes good sense.

Valuable Design Advice 

Designing a new garden or redoing an old and dying garden can be overwhelming. If you have no love of gardening, it can be even worse. A landscaper understands how to assess a property and work with what they see to create a stunning oasis. You can share your tastes and preferences and they can run with it, or they can do everything from concept to installation. Landscapers also know all the latest trends and can introduce you to new ideas you might not have considered. Ideas that might seem out of reach budget-wise might also turn out to be surprisingly affordable, allowing you to create the garden of your dreams.

Set the Foundation

Just because you hire a landscaping company to design your garden, doesn’t mean you have to give up gardening altogether. You can have them design and install everything, and then take over. You can still get the satisfaction that comes along with gardening but without the worry of choosing the right plants, or designing garden beds.

Upscale Features

Landscapers handle all the elements that complete the look of a garden such as paving stones, arbors, gazebos and fountains. You might know your plants, but these additional garden features require special craftsmanship for proper installation.

Sticking to a Budget 

You’re probably thinking a landscaping company will cost a fortune. However, they can save you money in a number of ways:

  • They get discounts on materials because they buy in bulk
  • They work with the number you provide so you’re never at risk of running over budget
  • They won’t get carried away and start spending without tracking their spend. Instead, they know exactly what to buy and won’t exceed the set budget.

It’s also easy for you to have a plan in mind, get halfway through and run out of money. That leaves you with an unfinished garden. Landscapers look at the big picture and budget accordingly.

Faster Completion 

When you do the work, you only have weekends to take on a landscaping project. This means the work can drag on throughout the summer. A landscaper, on the other hand, will work uninterrupted allowing them to complete the project faster.

Fewer Losses

Landscapers have the training and expertise to ensure your investment lasts. It’s not uncommon for rookie gardeners to choose plants poorly suited to their soil or the area in which they are planted. This greatly increases the risk for lost plants. Plants are expensive so you want to do all you can to ensure they live. You don’t want improper installation or care to lead to dried out plants. Landscapers have dependable suppliers who provide them with the highest quality plants that will be guaranteed to thrive in the environment they plant them. They know what they are doing.

Proper Maintenance

For those of you who just hate gardening, a landscaping company will keep your property looking its best without you having to do the work. They provide a long list of services from mowing the lawn to trimming bushes. They do all the work, while you get to enjoy the results. You can also choose to hire them seasonally for things such a garden clean up and prep or have them come in on a set schedule.  

Return on Investment

Professional landscapers will certainly help you see a return on investment. If you take a ho-hum or even dilapidated yard and turn it into Eden, you will attract more buyers when you decide to sell. However, if you don’t plan to sell any time soon, no worries. Your return on investment will still be appreciated through the added enjoyment you will have from your property.