You’re in Florida.
You know what Florida doesn’t have a shortage of? Retiree who are living out the best parts of their lives in our sunny, tropical paradise.
This, no doubt, translates to a higher number of retirement homes or communities.
In our 20 years of landscaping expertise, we’ve realized something – it doesn’t matter what type of community or commercial space you have (whether it’s a corporate park, a school, a church, etc.), landscaping is always going to matter.
Landscape brings people together in beautiful ways. It can provide aesthetics, community, and a gorgeous sense of place. That’s why we believe that landscape in retirement communities makes a huge difference! Check out a few of our favorite reasons that we believe that landscaping in retirement home communities matters and get the scoop on some of our inside tips and tricks for making your space welcoming, beautiful, and magical!
One of the most attractive features of a retirement home community is that there’s a sense of place – a community feel that gives you the setting to gather, meet friends, and enjoy your time. But if your retirement community is lacking a common area, it’s unlikely that you’re going to be able to draw people in to your community. Consider adding in fun features to your landscaping like patios, shaded gardens, and small walkable trails. Put down synthetic turf, pavers, barbecue areas, or well-lit, well-shaded night-time gathering areas to really kick up the community a notch! Check out a few of our favorite common area ideas here!
Did you know that just by spending time in a lush, gorgeous, and well-maintained garden, landscape, or lawn has been proven to improve moods, brighten attitudes, and even in some case, heal maladies? It’s true! According to a month-long study done in 2016 in the UK by the University of Derby and the Wildlife Trusts, it was found that interacting with foliage, fauna, and flora – simply being around nature and enjoying the sights, smells, and textures of plants – can significantly improve the health and happiness of people!
The body of research supporting this is ever-growing, and while it might not exactly be a miracle healer, there’s always something to be said about lush grounds, green space, and beautiful gardens to incite the positive mindset needed to heal, promote an overall happy feeling, and calm people down. This is the perfect answer for a retirement home community. With this, we don’t mean that everyone who chooses to live in a retirement community is ill or needs healing, but just the very nature of the community provides incentive to have this type of positivity in it — it’s the same sort of idea with hospitals or healing environments. The more growing life, the better. This helps to kick the senses into gear, add a sense of community, and promote positivity in an already beautiful community.
As people get older, it can be more difficult to maintain a healthy BMI, be active, and get the exercise and endurance training that they need – however, if they have the proper space to do so ( a space that’s beautiful, equipped, and well-maintained), it’s likely that there’s a better chance of making these things happen. Sunshine and fresh air are important for anyone’s health, and if you work with an expert landscaper to provide a beautiful outdoor area – like a paved walking track that winds through a gorgeous garden, or a small, well-maintained hike area – then you can be certain someone is going to want to use it! Ensure that the areas are well-maintained, have beautiful Florida flora and fauna, and are shaded well — it’s Florida, after all, we need protect against heat stroke!
Not only are you going to need to pay extra attention to maintenance from an aesthetic perspective, you’re going to want to ensure that you’re keeping a close eye on maintenance from a safety perspective. For starters, retirees are going to be a lot more hands-on when it comes to the condition of their living circumstances – they’ve worked all their lives to live in a place that they deem beautiful, so they’re going to want to make sure it’s beautiful! That means you’re going to need to keep a close eye on shrubs, trees, grass, flower beds, mulching, and more. Keep a tight schedule for your retirement communities so that you are always taking care of maintenance at the right time. Further, though, you’ll need to make sure you’re monitoring maintenance and doing extra routine check-ups for safety purposes. Older folks aren’t as spry or nimble as younger folks, so a trip over a root or an overgrown limb blocking vision could be much more serious than a simple stumble and fall or a stepping into the crosswalk accident. You’ll have to ensure you’re taking extra great care of all the hazards that could potentially cause any injuries! You can’t have roots or ripped up sidewalk or mismatched pavers tripping up your clients!
Did you enjoy our article about retirement home communities? We thought you might! If you’re looking to brighten up your space, put a little pep in your retirement community, or simply ask about quotes or other services, give our offices a call at (727)-201-3947. Want more information about landscaping, want some weekly tips and trips, or need some inspiration for your landscape area? Check out our blog for weekly updates on all things landscaping. We can’t wait to hear from you!