Dina Gibbons, Rubber Mulch

When people drive or walk by your commercial property, what message are you sending them? Few commercial properties really leave a lasting impression. Your landscaping is representative of your brand and your tenants’ brands, so up your building’s curb appeal with a few tips from Dina Gibbons, Home & Garden Design Expert at Rubber Mulch:

Front Entrance Appeal

Your front entrance should always be a focal point for clients, tenants, and deliveries. Try adding a curved walkway and large planters at the door with seasonal plants. Your company sign should be easy to see and well-constructed. Have a consistent policy for tenant signage, and resist the urge to hang flyers in the windows. Your signage is your signature.

Choose Unique Garden Perennials

Hostas and Barberry bushes require little maintenance and grow well in most zones, but consider including some other unusual, eye-catching picks as well. Many commercial properties lack color, but you can implement colorful landscaping every spring and summer. Low maintenance and impressive flowering plants include Knockout Roses, Hydrangea, Sedum, Iris, and Clematis, and shrubs like Smoke Tree, Boxwood, and Cedar and Cypress Spiral Evergreen. Plant a few shrubs in urns and place them near entrances. Think about extending the greenery for the full length of the building to evoke a campus feel.

Outdoor Seating for Employees

This idea is both attractive and a nice perk for employees. When the weather is good, employees love to get outside for a break or lunch. You can go as big on this concept as your budget and space allows. Consider picnic tables with umbrellas and lounge chairs, or a Bocce Ball area if you’re feeling generous.

Mulch Designs

Many companies opt for standard wood mulch in basic colors, but consider mulch that actually stands out. An upcoming trend in landscaping is patterning and designs with recycled rubber mulch. Use two or more colors and create patterns with it: build circular patterns around shrubs and trees, make checkerboard patterns using a mold, or spell out your company’s name in mulch. Also consider breaking up the mulch with grass to create designs with soft corners or in a circular pattern.  

Dina Gibbons is the home/garden design expert at Rubber Mulch, Des Moines, Iowa.

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