Ask the Experts

Budgeting Tips for Commercial Landscaping

December 28, 2020

It’s high time to draw up a budget for your business’ landscaping needs. Where do you start?

We have all seen businesses with splotchy piles of mulch, unkempt exteriors, and mismatched foliage as their welcoming greeting. Let’s face it – many of us pass some kind of judgement on these properties – and they are far from flattering.

Leave a memorable impression that resonates with your customers. The challenge is knowing how to budget enough to properly maintain your landscape. Are you being smart and getting the most value out of the partnership with your chosen landscaping company?

We’d like to offer some tips.

Budget enough for standard maintenance

Class A buildings are visible, high-profile places, and would need regular landscape maintenance. Class C buildings such as warehouses typically need a smaller budget since they do not normally welcome a lot of visitors. Be sure that you are budgeting enough based on the special conditions and the size of your property. Regardless of the kind of property you have, it’s important that your landscape always presents a clean, professional appearance.

Plan for the long term

Plants and trees normally have a 10-year average life cycle, factoring in storm damage and disease. Work closely with us to plan for replacing plants; we can give you an idea in terms of costs and timeline.

Budget for annual enhancements

A lot of businesses that we have worked with budget around 20 to 30 percent on top of their maintenance contract for annual enhancements. The maintenance contract is your landscape budget’s backbone, but you also need to set aside for items that may not be included in your regular contract, such as plant replacement.

Budget with a plan

Have a master plan. A landscape master plan will give you ideas on improvements and upgrades that should be done over a short or long time frame. It can address serious concerns like erosion control, drainage, and arbor care for mature trees. It can also help with color scheme, plant palette, site furnishing, theme plantings, as well as amenity sections.

Think strategically

It is simpler to be focused on reducing the budget and cutting costs. However, it is wiser to think more about investing in your property and developing a long term plan. This approach is more cost-effective compared to making short-term “fixes.”

Involve us in your budget process

Certain elements such as material and labor costs, as well as the weather, affect landscape costs. Involving us in your budget process to ensure that you have everything you need to make informed decisions. 

Do you want to learn more or need help with budgeting appropriately for the upcoming year? Call us today at 214.366.2103 and we’ll talk about how to budget for your business’ landscaping needs. We can offer cost-saving solutions that will help your property in the long run.