Commercial Landscaping Trends to Watch for in 2022

It’s easy to think of landscaping as simply plants and dirt, but it’s so much more. This is especially true for businesses. When you create commercial landscaping for a business, you want to think about the people who would be using the space this most: employees. Here are the top five commercial landscaping trends to watch for in 2022.

Trend #1: Placemaking Environments

The process of placemaking is a balanced approach to developing, designing, carrying out, and overseeing spaces. When you take this approach for a company’s landscaping, you’ll plan design elements according to the needs of who will use the area such as the employees or clients.

Placemaking involves:

• A business’s location
• The physical environment
• The workforce
• The processes that are in place

Common design elements in placemaking environments include adding comfortable seating areas in the company’s outdoor spaces (and outdoor spaces are critical given the pandemic). This will attract people to particular areas as well as encourage gathering. Consider creating placemaking environments that make it easy for a company’s staff and others to observe proper Covid-19 social distancing protocols. Making sure that the outdoor spaces are connected to other areas is another common design element in placemaking environments.

Examples of placemaking for commercial spaces include planting shading trees to make a company’s outdoor spaces pleasant during the warmer months and installing outdoor heaters so that people can spend time outside comfortably when winter arrives. Consider landscape designs that feature tables for employees. This addition will give them a place to gather for conversations, meals, and productive work.

When a company observes placemaking, it increases space. The trend also gives greater visual appeal.

Trend #2: Functional Personal Health Spaces

Companies are starting to bring their workers back into office environments. However, Covid-19 is far from over, which means that natural personal health spaces are more important than ever. What are functional personal health spaces? These are safe natural areas that make outdoor work possible while still encouraging people to work effectively.

Good design is about more than creating functional spaces. When you’re planning landscaping designs, help your clients choose one that’s beautiful. That way, they can bring design elements to their company that will give people a positive experience.

There is a connection between accessible green spaces and the overall wellbeing and mental health of humans. Studies show that when people spend time in nature, they experience less depression, stress, and aggression. Being in natural spaces provides a place for people to interact socially and relax.

The ongoing pandemic is causing many people to experience mental fatigue. Personal health spaces can help them manage it. Personal health spaces help people avoid interacting with large crowds while continuing to provide the benefits of being in nature.

Examples of functional personal health spaces include walking paths, ponds with seating sections, and benches placed in outdoor spaces. Suggest installing fire pits or purchasing outdoor heaters to make sure that the company’s functional personal health spaces can be used year-round.

Commercial landscaping should always be tidy. An easy way to keep things looking orderly is to use steel landscape edging. Colmet’s steel landscape edging is a good investment due to its long-lasting construction and design flexibility. Steel landscape edging is affordable, and makes it easy to create outdoor functional personal health spaces for your clients.

Trend #3: Low Maintenance Landscape Design

For 2022, a big landscaping trend will be low maintenance designs. When a company’s outdoor spaces feature low maintenance elements, it is usually more affordable to install and take care of once all of the plants have matured. Since there is a labor shortage due to Covid, fewer companies have enough people on staff for outdoor upkeep. 

Low maintenance designs are often simple, so when it comes to developing outdoor spaces, these designs can give people a greater feeling of peace and tranquility. The majority of the work put into a company’s landscaping should happen when it’s first being installed. Once it’s complete, maintenance can be minimal depending on the design.

Consider xeriscaping elements for your clients. This will decrease the amount of water that they need to use, which will save them money. Xeriscaping can be used in several ways. Options include grouping different drought-resistant plants together and using mulch. Be sure to suggest plants and trees that are adapted to your area’s climate. Native plants and trees are more likely to be low maintenance.

Plant flowers strategically. Make the most of a company’s commercial landscaping design by planting more attractive plants in visible areas of the property. Plant flowers next to the building’s entrances and amenities. Also, recommend adding hard surface materials to cover areas that aren’t being used.

Trend #4: Lighting to Enhance the Landscape

Commercial landscaping looks even better when it’s properly lit. With good lighting, you can create a mood that encourages business. With the right light setup, you can even decrease a company’s energy use while making sure that it looks its best.

Proper lighting will make the exterior of a building stand out, which will make it easier for a company’s customers to find it at night. Use lighting to spotlight signs, any exterior artwork that should be displayed and the amazing commercial landscaping.

Not only does lighting enhance exterior spaces, but it also makes a building more secure. Employees and customers will feel more comfortable entering and exiting a well-lit business. Good lighting will also work to prevent break-ins and vandalism.

Solar lighting has come a long way. These days, you can use it to illuminate a business and decrease energy costs. Along with solar lighting, you also have access to advanced light fixtures, ones that will give businesses a professional look. There are a variety of different light designs available, and you can also choose fixtures that complement the business’s architectural style.

When a company has great lighting, it will bring people in and help them feel comfortable.

Trend #5: Let Nature Stand Out

Let nature make a statement. The best ways to do this is to recommend adding:

• Water features
• Living walls
• Plants that decrease sound
• Integrated seating
• Natural shade

Water features provide a meditative and soothing effect on an area. A company’s customers will appreciate the relaxing atmosphere created by a water feature. This addition can also work as a natural air purifier.

Living walls are amazing additions to a commercial property. They provide benefits like better air quality, improved outdoor space and conservation. You can even encourage your clients to create one for artistic expression or food production.

Include plants that decrease sound in your commercial landscaping designs. Your clients will appreciate this element because it will make their company’s outdoor spaces more peaceful. When you include sound reduction planting, you’ll be able to block out the high frequency sound that people struggle with the most. You can even recommend layers of plants to clients who live in especially noisy areas to give them the best noise protection.

Integrated seating areas are one of the best ways to use outdoor space. This feature not only gives people a comfortable place to rest, but it also keeps a company’s exterior spaces open. One option is to install a seat wall. If there are low walls included in the exterior design, then turn them into seats. Natural boulders are another option. These will blend in with a company’s outdoor design elements. You could also suggest inset seating, which shifts a wall back a bit to create a seating nook.

Be sure to recommend canopies to your clients when designing their outdoor spaces. Install them over benches and tables to keep these seating areas comfortable during the day.

Considering Commercial Landscaping Trends

Landscaping has the power to transform how your commercial property is perceived by both passersby and employees. Trends surrounding commercial properties evolve and change, just like a residential landscape. Keep an eye out for these 2022 trends and adopt the elements that best highlight your commercial property and are smarter for your business.