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Inside the Landscape Strategy of Dallas’s Most Visited Urban Park

An inside look at one of Dallas’s most challenging — and beloved — urban landscapes. Discover how Southern Botanical delivers award-winning commercial landscape maintenance for Dallas’s iconic Klyde Warren Park.

Klyde Warren Park is one of the most iconic green spaces in Dallas, attracting over 1 million visitors each year. Built atop a freeway deck in the heart of the city, it’s a destination for locals and tourists alike — and one of the most challenging commercial landscape maintenance projects in Dallas.

Since 2013, Southern Botanical has proudly served as the park’s landscape partner, helping transform this engineered environment into a vibrant urban oasis. In 2015, our work at Klyde Warren Park earned a prestigious Gold Award for Commercial Maintenance from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), reflecting our commitment to excellence and innovation.

With over 1 million annual visitors, here is how we keep this landmark thriving, event after event — and season after season.

A Park Built on Concrete — and Trust

Klyde Warren Park, a “green space built out of thin air,” spans 5.4 acres across the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. With only 36–42 inches of highly porous engineered soil above a concrete deck, maintaining healthy plants and turf here requires extra precision and care.

Southern Botanical operates under a performance-based partnership with the park’s management, with no scheduled downtime. The landscape is always expected to look its best, even after events that draw tens of thousands of visitors.

Our team meets these demands through:

  • Strategic plant selection and placement to thrive in this unique microclimate
  • Precision irrigation and aeration to maintain healthy turf
  • Regular re-sodding of key lawn areas to restore appearance after major events
  • Integrated pest management (IPM) that avoids herbicides and promotes eco-friendly solutions

Managing Constant Wear from Major Events

This park is “loved to death” by visitors. As one of Dallas’s premier event spaces, Klyde Warren Park constantly hosts high-profile events such as:

  • Eclipse Watch Parties (10,000+ attendees)
  • Fourth of July Celebrations (30,000 attendees)

This level of traffic requires an innovative approach to turf and landscape management. After each event, we:

  • Evaluate turf conditions and prioritize recovery work
  • Rotate lawn closures to allow areas time to recover
  • Fertilize, aerate, and re-sod as needed to maintain lush, green coverage
  • Hand-water as needed to support plant health

We treat the park’s lawns like sports fields — an essential strategy for keeping them usable and attractive year-round.

Designing for Durability and Visitor Experience

Over the years, Southern Botanical has also contributed to key landscape construction projects at Klyde Warren Park, including:

  • Children’s Park Expansion — Doubled in size to 18,000 square feet, now featuring synthetic turf to handle heavy play and traffic
  • Nancy Best Fountain Plaza — Redesigned surrounding plant beds with colorful, drought-tolerant selections to complement this popular attraction

In high-traffic areas like Jane’s Lane, playgrounds, and dining spaces, we use:

  • Strategically placed trees for shade and comfort
  • Tree pockets and shade-tolerant turf to protect root systems and ensure usability
  • Carefully selected plant palettes that balance aesthetics with durability

Every element of the landscape is designed to enhance the visitor experience while standing up to the demands of an urban park.

Eco-Friendly Landscape Practices

Klyde Warren Park is also a model for sustainable commercial landscape maintenance in Dallas. Southern Botanical supports an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach:

  • No pre-emergent or herbicides are used on turf
  • Healthy turf practices prevent weed growth naturally
  • Natural mosquito control with biweekly applications of rosemary, lavender, and vanilla oils

These eco-friendly practices align with the park’s mission and promote a healthier environment for visitors.

A Model of What’s Possible in Urban Landscaping

Klyde Warren Park demonstrates what’s possible when landscape excellence drives an urban space. Our success here is built on:

  • A trusted, long-term partnership with the client
  • Agile, proactive maintenance strategies
  • Award-winning expertise in commercial landscape maintenance and design

This project continues to inspire visitors and landscape professionals alike, and it shows why Southern Botanical is a top choice for award-winning commercial landscape maintenance in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Why Choose Southern Botanical for Commercial Landscape Maintenance?

If you manage a high-profile property, HOA, public space, or commercial campus, Southern Botanical brings the same level of expertise and care that has made Klyde Warren Park a national model.

We specialize in:

Contact us today to learn how we can help elevate your property, just as we have for one of Dallas’s most beloved parks.