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5 Ways Landscaping Helps Improve Your Parking Lot

by Dan Mckinney

Commercial property owners rarely think much about their parking lot when it comes to landscape design. But because the lot includes so much hardscape and so little landscape, it's even more important to choose the right organic elements. How can landscape help improve your parking area in five key functions? Here's what you should know.

1. Directing Rainwater

Controlling rainwater and runoff around the parking lot extends its life and ensures better safety for all. Many factors go into good drainage in a parking lot, and parking lot borders and islands are some of these. Generous use of soil, mulch, trees, and shrubs in low-lying areas provide places for water to absorb safely into the ground. 

2. Providing Comfort

The parking lot should be at least minimally comfortable for clients and visitors. Shade trees are one of the most important features of parking lot islands, as these help keep the lot cooler in summer for cars, pets, and people. Depending on your weather, you can also incorporate shrubs and trees as windbreaks and use deciduous trees to allow more sunlight to penetrate to cars during cold winters. 

3. Directing Traffic

Direct traffic flow in your parking lot by using landscape as both barriers and indicators. Unlike many ground-level painted directions and signage, trees and bushes are easy to spot and hard for drivers to ignore. Use this to your advantage by providing clear traffic boundaries and creating vertically empty spots to indicate where cars should be moving instead. 

4. Aiding Pedestrians

How safe and easy is it for people to walk around your lot? Signs and painted indicators do help, but they're often less visible to moving cars and busy pedestrians. Create a pleasant, attractive, and easy-to-spot walking path on islands and around perimeters of the lot to move people safely out of conflict with cars. 

5. Building Branding

Can parking lot landscaping build your business brand? Yes, it can. The right plant color schemes complement or highlight your brand palette. Choosing between exotic or native plants coordinates with your company's values. A modern or rustic landscape design fits the company's vibe. And even the addition of a few strategic benches and trees help customers feel relaxed and welcome. 

Where to Learn More

Want more ideas for making your parking lot more enjoyable, safer, easier to use, and longer-lasting? Start by meeting with an experienced landscape designer in your area today. No matter how large or small your parking area, you'll find great ways to take advantage of what organic elements have to offer. 

For more information about landscape design, contact a landscaping company in your area.

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