Exterior plant design isn’t reserved for those who have a beautiful rolling lawn and budget for a big demo, pouring new concrete, and building raised beds. From restaurants with cozy patios and small businesses looking to brighten sidewalk space to retail parks that want comprehensive exterior plant design, exterior container plants are another great option. They bring plants, blooms and even trees to any outdoor area – no need for ground soil.
This article will cover the different types of commercial exterior plant work and what to expect from each, so you can understand what will work best for your business. We will focus on pot and container arrangements, as well as flowers put into existing beds, but you will leave with an understanding of all the basic exterior plant services and their differences.
Outdoor Commercial Plant Installation: From Landscaping and Gardening to Container Designs
How the exterior of your business looks makes a difference to your employees, customers, and community. Research from several studies shows that shoppers prefer exterior greenery and trees, and that plants improve customers’ impression of brands, and that people generally prefer streets with trees and flowers. If you want to reap these rewards by improving your exterior space, you have several options.
Landscaping: This service includes creating walkways and hills, raised beds, and so on, and can include planting. If you have an undeveloped exterior planting space like a lawn or mulch area that needs a lift, landscaping is a great way to shape and fill it.
Exterior flower planting services: If you already have landscaping or architectural elements in place that need to be cleaned up and filled with plants, a commercial exterior plant service like Plantscaping & Blooms can fill in your exterior space with life and flowers and create designs that work with your existing architecture.
Exterior container designs and potted designs: Rather than planting directly in the ground, pots are used to bring in flowers, trees, shrubs, greenery and other natural elements. Any space can benefit from containers – doorways, roofs, patios, pool areas, and everywhere in between. Experts like those at Plantscaping & Blooms can create a container design that works without any need for landscaping, but still makes a big impression. We know that nobody wants to wait to be impressed so we begin with every exterior installation with large, mature plants that look great from day one.
3 Key Factors for Designing and Creating Commercial Exterior Plant Installations
When you are planning your business’s designs and evaluating plant partners, there are three major factors for you to consider that combine to create successful designs.
Plant design
Every business is different and every space is different, which means no two designs are the same. Plant designers have to take into account the goals of your business and how you want to make people feel. Do you want eye-catching plants for retail? Relaxing vibes for employees taking breaks outside? Privacy and noise mitigation for sidewalk diners?
In a good plant design, you should have a mix of materials, colors, textures, height and dimensions. This includes the containers themselves and non-plant elements like decorative wood or lights. And your design should not ignore the practical. Doorways or narrow sidewalks should remain clear, hot paved lounge areas should get shade, outdoor outlets should remain available, and choices should always enhance the features you already have.
Plant selection
The first consideration for plant selection is that your varieties match your environment: the seasons, sun, shade and weather. For example, in our own Cleveland, Ohio, we use plants that thrive in the humid and hot summers we get so maintenance is easier and plants look livelier.
Exterior plant designs can be annual, perennial or a mix, flowers, greenery, shrubs, and trees or a mix. These choices will depend on your budget and the use of your space. If you choose seasonal designs, ask your exterior plant designers what the end-of-season process looks like, if they store containers, and if they have any seasonal services like holiday decorating which can fill in the winter period.
Quality plants are non-negotiable. Without them, you will never see the full promise of your design, and you may end up spending more on maintenance and plant replacements than you need to. Especially in commercial areas that see a lot of traffic, happy and healthy plants are what send the best message and hold up over time.
Plant maintenance
No design with living things looks the same from one day to the next. That’s part of the wonder and magic of working with plants, but it can turn into a challenge if you are not investing in maintenance. Plants can die, become overgrown or stop flowering, which will impact the feel of your space.
Expert care gives you:
- Ongoing bang for your budget by ensuring long-lasting designs
- Adjustments for unseasonable weather
- Guaranteed TLC over vacations and busy periods
- Mitigation of common problems like overwatering and pest control
- Advice and improvements if and when you want to refresh your design
Creating a Custom Exterior Plant Design with Plantscaping & Blooms
As the premiere partner for container and exterior plant designs in Cleveland, OH and beyond, Plantscaping & Blooms has helped many businesses transform their outdoor space. We are leaders in exterior design and plants, giving us the creativity and knowledge to approach any project. We have the capacity to help businesses from a single storefront looking for a few stylish containers to hotels, malls, hospitals, and even nationwide chains. We can work with architects in the planning phase, or take over and improve existing designs. We do all things containers and flower planting but do not do landscaping projects.
For us, every client is unique and we approach each project with care. We craft a singular design for everyone, creating a wonderful environment with any budget or space. Working with Plantscaping & Blooms starts with a personal consultation to understand your exterior and what your business wants to get from a new plant design. These conversations lead to a custom proposal so you can see exactly how we will beautify your space.
Then, we source plants. This actually begins well before we meet new clients, because we are continually building relationships with the highest quality commercial suppliers and nurturing plants in our own nurseries. We start every installation with healthy, mature plants so your space looks great from the start. We will also source containers and any other elements your design needs. Our installation begins as we prepare your space and work in our nurseries, where we carefully load plants for transportation. Our expert team will arrive fully prepared and create your new design with minimal interruption, leaving you with exactly what we planned. We also offer exterior maintenance to keep your designs looking amazing.
If you are a business in Cleveland, OH that wants to improve your exterior to delight guests, customers, and employees, contact us today to get started on making the extraordinary.