Creating a beautiful, vibrant, and eye-catching landscape for your property –whether commercial or residential, is typically the top concern when it comes to designing a lawn or a campus. While those considerations are highly important (why create a beautiful landscape if it can’t be enjoyed or help you reap other benefits?), there are dozens of other considerations to work into your design plans. One of the biggest concerns? Security.
Often, people make the mistake of forgetting that security is a key benefit of implementing landscape or lawn design into their property. What’s worse, not many people know that when they’re designing their lawn or landscape, they can implement both beauty and security in a symbiotic relationship. Not sure how to accomplish? No worries! We’ve had years of experience that have led us to this moment, and with that being said, we happily bring you our cultivated guide of landscape security mistakes to avoid.
We want this guide to be helpful in aiding you to craft your landscaping dream-come-true, but more importantly, we hope it helps lay out the guidelines for how you can implement certain landscaping designs, techniques, and modifications to help keep your property (your lawn, your business’ campus, et. Cetera) secure, private, and pleasant.
An Overgrown Jungle
This an oversight that comes after you’ve finished your landscaping project. You might think you’re in the clear once you’ve picked out the plants that are low-maintenance and beautiful, you might think you’ve thought of everything once you’ve established eye-catching colors that draw in the eye, and you probably think your work is all done after you’ve considered adding in water, lighting, and foliage around your signage. We’ve got news, though – landscaping isn’t static.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make with their landscaping is finishing their project and never touching it again. Landscape design is beautiful because it’s made up of living things, but because it’s made up of living things, there will be constant growth, attention, and maintenance that’s needed.
That being said, neglecting your landscape and your lawn could lead to some serious issues. Letting your plants overgrow, or not leaving room for growth in your initial landscape design could possible endanger everyone who visits your lawn. How? Well, consider shrubs. If shrubs are left to grow tall and bushy, they can obstruct vision, possibly getting in the way of drivers and pedestrians, and leaving room for terrible accidents.
More than that, trees, plants, or bushes that are too close together could end up not only causing structural damage to the building they surround (root systems are no joke, and neither are heavy branches, especially when they’re growing too close to windows, electrical transformers, and power lines), but also, they could affect the integrity of the tree.
Didn’t Think about Drainage?
This is a huge issue where we’re from. As a Floridian, you’re no stranger to the power of the summer rains, and you know how easily and quickly rain can flood an area without warning. So, it’s important that when you’re designing your lawn or landscape that you’re not forgetting about drainage. If proper drainage isn’t set up, you can definitely expect giant puddles, lots of flooding, and even ponding in some areas. Not only is this going to be harmful to your property, it’s going to affect the way your plants grow and thrive.
The gross part? Excess water, especially water that’s not going to drain quickly or efficiently, can lead to dangerous bacteria that can affect your health, your employees’ health, and your visitors’ health. We’re talking mold, fungus, unpleasant odors, and more. Not to mention the risk you’re putting on your building with your lack of drainage. If you have wood other materials that are easily deteriorated by water, the slightest bit of flooding due to your drainage oversight could drastically accelerate the life of your building.
This isn’t just an issue with the wild rains of Florida, though. Even when we seem to be going through a dry spell, you’ll need to ensure that your drainage system is top-notch. Why? Consider how often you water your landscape. Do you have a system in place to manage that water? If not, you’re certainly in for a bit of flooding.
Uneven Surfaces
This one isn’t necessarily something people think about off the top of their head. Typically, when people are planning their landscape design, remodel, or revamp, they’re stuck on thoughts of big, beautiful, Florida plants that they can place on their lawn to create a gorgeous design. We can’t blame them – we must love creating beautiful landscapes, or else we wouldn’t be in the business we’re in. That being said though, it’s important to keep your eye on safety, and uneven surfaces can be an enormous oversight for security and safety.
Consider the plants, trees, bushes, shrubs, and other foliage and fauna you’ve included in your landscape. Have you thought about how the root systems will grow? Have you considered the effect the plants and trees will have on your walking areas? Often, tree roots that are too close to pavement or other surfaces can lift out of the ground, breaking up the strongest of materials (even cement) and creating hazardous, uneven walkways.
The last thing you want is someone tripping, catching their feet, or falling because of your uneven sidewalk, which, could have been avoided in the first place. We recommend always planting trees and other plants with strong roots systems a few feet away from any sidewalk or walking space. If the trees are already in place, we recommend thinking of a new pathway for your visitors to walk on that leads in a different direction.
Forgetting About the Flow
It’s so easy to get caught up in the beauty of patterned shrubbery, palm trees, and beds of bright flowers that pop up everywhere. All of those elements are surely important, but they can’t be the only consideration you look at. Like we said, safety and security have to come in on the top five when you’re designing or renovating your lawn.
Think about how many people will be walking, driving, or traipsing through your landscape. Now, consider the design you have in mind for your lawn. Does it make sense for the flow of traffic? Does it help get people through the lawn efficiently, or will it be in their way? Do you need to set up pathways around your inconvenient landscape to avoid people tripping and falling? Can drivers, delivery people, and pedestrians see through your landscape to get to your residence or place of business?
It’s important that you’re designing your lawn in a way that helps the flow of traffic, not a landscape that impedes the flow of traffic. Beauty is important, but function is, too. Try to balance a pragmatic, safe flow of traffic for your visitors before you start to populate the lawn with gorgeous blooms. Your visitors will thank you.
Did you enjoy our guide? We hope it provided you with the helpful info you needed! For more tips and tricks, check out our website at Landcrafters website or reach out to us via phone at (727)-446-2598. Feel free to contact Landcrafters for your foliage, landscape, and lawn questions, concerns, and needs.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Michael Tomaino
