There’s nothing like welcoming visitors to your property with a beautifully designed and maintained landscape—but it’s even better when it doesn’t come with the high water bill that conventional lawns and garden beds demand.
As more counties place irrigation restrictions in commercial areas and regions cycle between unexpected droughts, it’s important for businesses to start considering more sustainable and cost-effective landscaping. That doesn’t mean your landscaping has to be drab. In fact, with xeriscaping, your landscaping will be anything but dull.
What Is Xeriscaping?
Broadly speaking, xeriscaping is any style of landscaping that requires little to no additional irrigation; it can thrive on occasional rain alone. The exact xeriscaping style that’s perfect for commercial properties will vary from region to region. For example, xeriscaping in the American Southwest might include a lot of cactus, desert flowers, and sandscapes. In Virginia, it might include decorative native grasses, gravel-lined garden beds, and evergreens.
Healthy, sustainable xeriscapes focus on native plants, which need less watering and artificial attention by design. Commercial landscapes can include rocky beds, paths lined by mossy ground cover, native shrubs and tufts of grass, and slow-growing trees that will accent your building for years to come.
Benefits of Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping offers a wide range of advantages over traditional landscaping styles, especially for modern businesses.
Cost-Effective Irrigation
Because xeriscapes require less watering, you can reduce recurring costs and ultimately lower your water bill. Depending on where you live, you may also be eligible for a rebate or bill reduction as an incentive for choosing a low-water landscaping option.
Sustainable Reputation
Today’s consumers are motivated by sustainability and eco-friendly values. They prefer to shop from brands that reflect those values.
Fewer Maintenance Demands
Many xeriscapes also feature slow-growing plants that are more resilient to climate and weather events, so they often require less rigorous maintenance. This allows you to put the money you would normally spend on expensive landscaping toward building upgrades and other facility maintenance services.
Protects Property Values
Conventional landscapes can negatively affect property values and appeal because of sparse patchy grass during droughts. But modern xeriscaping is an investment in the property that can help it maintain or increase its value over time.
How to Practice Xeriscaping
If you want to transition to xeriscaping for your commercial property, take these steps:
- Choose desert plants: Desert plants are naturally drought-resistant. They’re also eye-catching and can appeal to visitors because of their bright coloring and unusual profiles.
- Reduce turf grass: Grassy lawns use up a lot of water and can quickly turn brown when quenched, leading to infestations of weeds, soil erosion, and unkempt landscaping. By intentionally switching to groundcover alternatives, you can beautify your property and make it more resilient.
- Intentionally design the layout: Install plants with similar watering and fertilizing needs together. This will help you more efficiently maintain the landscape with any additional water or nutrients they need.
- Choose the right soil: Install quality topsoil that can hold onto water and doesn’t need additional irrigation or fertilization. While soil types should match the types of plants you want, a good general rule is to look for soils that can absorb water instead of letting it quickly drain away.
- Incorporate hardscape features: Pavers, footpaths, and fire pits are other great options to fill in spaces traditionally set aside for grass and plants needing lots of water.
Professional Xeriscaping Installation and Maintenance Services From Strategic Grounds
Transitioning from conventional lawns to xeriscaping is a great way to lower your operational costs, attract new visitors, and maintain your property’s value. We provide cost-effective solutions customized to match your property’s unique needs. Reach out to Strategic Grounds today to get started.
