Keep Your Property Looking Perfect Through Winter

Palm trees with green lush lawn. Grasshoppers talks about ways to keep your Orlando FL commercial property looking perfect through winter.

Palm trees with green lush lawn. Grasshoppers talks about ways to keep your Orlando FL commercial property looking perfect through winter.While winters in Florida are mild, plants and trees still go dormant. But this doesn’t mean you should ignore your landscaping. There are several things you can do to keep your property looking perfect this winter.

Prune

We recommend you have your trees, shrubs, and plants pruned in late winter or early spring. Because they’re dormant during this time of year, this will help prevent any stress to your plants and it doesn’t disrupt fruiting, flowering or the growing cycle.

Mulch

After pruning you should have your flower beds fertilized and re-mulched. This new layer of mulch not only improves the look of your property but it will also help maintain moisture and ensure the fertilizer stays put.

Plant

Depending on your location, you may experience colder winters. If you do, you’ll want to plant annuals that are tolerant to cold weather. This includes amaryllis, petunias, pansies, and snapdragons. Just make sure your flower beds have a good layer of mulch for temperature protection. Adding these winter-hardy flowers to your landscape design will keep it looking beautiful and vibrant year-round.

If you have palm trees on your property, keep in mind they can suffer damage in cold weather. This includes sudden drops of temperature and frost. If you notice dead branches or leaf tissue, have them treated.

Add Hardscaping

Adding hardscaping during the winter is a great way to rejuvenate a dull or stale area. Hardscaping includes rock formations, pavers, sidewalks, water fountains, and retainer walls. Hardscaping not only adds curb appeal but it also provides functionality — whether it’s providing entertainment space or creating a path for visitors.

A great looking lawn and landscape design adds curb appeal and helps make your business more inviting. Fortunately with Florida’s climate, you don’t have to stop enhancing your commercial landscaping. These tips will help keep your property looking vibrant and well-kept through winter.

The Risks of DIY Landscaping Design

Beautifully landscaped lawn with pavers. Grasshoppers talks about the risks of DIY landscaping design for people in the Orlando FL area.

Beautifully landscaped lawn with pavers. Grasshoppers talks about the risks of DIY landscaping design for people in the Orlando FL area.

You’re interested in beautifying your property but you’re on a budget. While “do-it-yourself” methods are fun and make you feel more empowered, DIY is risky when it comes to landscape design. It’s not as simple as adding a few plants here and there. With landscaping, several variables come into play and if performed incorrectly your DIY landscaping may end up costing you more in both time and money.

Risk 1: Improper Planning

Planning is a big part of landscape design. Not only do you need to properly create a cohesive design, but you also need to have all the tools necessary and have time to do it. Oftentimes people will start a project and not see it through to completion. This can lead to an incomplete project or one that is just quickly thrown together, lacking beauty and continuity. Professional landscapers have creative minds. They’ll work with their clients, take their concept and create beautiful landscape architecture. At Grasshoppers we take it even further, creating a digital design prior. This ensures our final design goes off without a hitch.

Risk 2: Haphazard Planting

Plants, trees, and shrubs all perform differently under different circumstances. Some bloom all year-round while some need more shade. Professional landscape designers like us perform a full site analysis before curating a design. During this analysis, we look at soil quality, shade, your existing landscaping, the season, and more because not every plant will work.

Risk 3: Not Taking Function into Account

Great landscaping should incorporate function and form in its design. Professional landscapers will consider how the space is used and keep in mind irrigation, lighting, and traffic.

Risk 4: Neglecting Your Indoor View

With DIY landscaping, small details can often go forgotten. Sure your design looks great from afar, but what if a tree is placed right in front of your picture window or there is too much spacing in between plants? Landscape designers will address potential issues like this during the planning phase.

Risk 5: Going Over Budget

One problem with DIY landscape design is that if you mess up, you’ll spend more time and money trying to fix your mistakes. These costs can quickly add up, causing you to exceed your budget.

Contact a Landscaping Company

Why take the chance of ruining your property? Contact a professional landscape designer. They know high-end designs inside and out and will help impact your commercial property.

The Benefits of Hiring a Professional Landscaping Company for Your HOA

Beautifully landscaped lawn. Grasshoppers talks about the benefits of hiring a landscaping company for HOA properties in Orlando FLA well-kept landscape not only looks good, but it creates conformity, adds property value, and encourages homebuyers. If you’re part of a homeowner’s association board, you’ll want to consider hiring a professional landscaping company to provide your maintenance services. They’ll provide consistency and help cut down costs. Below are some more benefits of hiring a professional for your HOA landscape maintenance.

Landscaping Expertise

Professional landscapers don’t just cut lawns and prune shrubs. They are highly knowledgeable about all things related to landscaping. They know all about plants and trees native to your region including when they bloom, how much water they need, and where to plant them. Think about the cost it would add if a poorly chosen tree was planted near your hardscape and it uprooted a pathway or water feature.

Reliable

When you partner with a landscaping firm for your HOA properties, you no longer have to worry about when the grass will be cut or the trees pruned. Landscapers will work with you and develop a schedule, taking added stress off of you.

Bulk Cost Savings

Landscaping contractors purchase supplies and plants at discounted rates, helping lower costs for your HOA.

Improved Landscape Management

Some plants, despite your best efforts, may die. If a plant, tree or shrub needs to be replaced your landscape contractor will purchase new plants at a discounted cost and replace it, often with a guarantee in place.

No Equipment to Worry About

You don’t have to purchase landscaping equipment like commercial mowers, loppers, and edgers. And you don’t have to store or maintain them.

Reduced Liability

Landscape companies are insured and understand all environmental and safety regulations set in place. This helps reduce any liabilities on the board’s behalf.

Other perks: Irrigation, fertilization, weed control, Pest Management

Some landscape companies, like Grasshoppers are full-service. In addition to lawn and plant care, they also handle your irrigation, fertilize your lawn, provide weed control, and even provide pest control on your properties.

If you’re in charge of an HOA, you have a lot on your plate, with landscape maintenance being one of the top priorities. When you work with a landscape company, you can focus on what you do best and provide residents with a great living experience. If you have any questions about HOA landscape maintenance services feel free to contact us!

Improve Your Commercial Image With Landscape Design

Palm trees and flowers around building. Grasshoppers talks about improving your commercial image with landscape design in Orlando FL

Palm trees and flowers around building. Grasshoppers talks about improving your commercial image with landscape design in Orlando FLAs a business owner, you pay very close attention to detail when it comes to your brand from logos to brochures and advertising to interior decor. But what about the exterior of your business? The outside of your business, including your landscaping, is just as important. This is the first thing a potential customer sees. In this article, we’ll talk about ways the right landscaping can boost your commercial image.

Landscape Design Can Attract Customers

A great first impression starts outside of your business. If your exterior looks old and rundown, a passerby may not even give a second glance at your location. Adding a beautiful landscape design outside will not only create a more inviting atmosphere but it will also help provide potential customers, tenants or investors with a taste of your company’s values.

Beautiful Landscaping Creates a Safe and Fun Environment

With the right plants, trees, palms, and shrubs your outdoor landscaping will also promote social interaction. Your employees may want to take a break from being inside and enjoy the wonderful weather. Florida isn’t called “The Sunshine State” for nothing.

For clients or customers, they may find a bench or shady spot to lay down and read a book, sip on coffee or just relax and unwind.

Incorporating pathway lighting, natural barriers, and strategically placed bushes will help to improve security. This not only helps make the area safer, but it also aids in deterring criminals and thus lowers crime in the area.

Landscaping Sets a Final Impression

In addition to a first impression, the right landscaping can also provide customers with a final, lasting impression that will keep them returning for more of your services.

Landscaping Can Increase Your Property Value

When you add landscape design to your commercial property, you are helping it look its best. Well-Maintained landscaping has a significant price advantage to another that has no landscaping and is an added feature potential tenants are drawn to. Your increased property value can also help encourage improvement in the vicinity or neighborhood of your business.

What If I Already Have Landscaping?

Maybe you have a couple of plants and pavers outside of your property now. Landscape design like any other industry is continually changing, so it’s important to keep up with the trends and not remain stagnant. The right plants, trees, palms, and shrubs can mean the world of difference to your current landscaping.

Professionals in Commercial Landscape Design

Landscaping involves a lot more than just planting a couple of flowers and shrubs here and there. Landscaping is a well thought out design concept that incorporates science and art. Different flowers and plants require different amounts of sunlight, shade, and water. Flowers also bloom in different seasons. During the initial phases of working with a landscape design professional, they will take environment, weather, and elevation aspects into consideration as well as create an aesthetically pleasing and inviting first impression to someone walking or driving by.

We understand you already spend a great deal of time with your business and that last thing you may want to worry about is landscape maintenance and lawn care. At Grasshoppers, our designs are second to none. We’ll not only professionally design your landscaping according to your needs, but we’ll also regularly maintain it. This includes lawn care, irrigation, tree trimming, pruning, and other maintenance services. So if you’re interested in boosting your business with a new landscape design, contact us today, we’d love to help!