As we have recently moved into the commercial landscaping space, the name of the game has changed. While residential homeowners surely care for the quality of their landscape, it is simply to maintain property value, or impress visitors. There is nothing wrong with this, but it lacks the competitive nature of commercial landscaping. In the land of commercial property management, property owners are looking to use their landscape to drive in business. These could be new tenants at an office park, or foot traffic customers at a retail center. In order to do this there must be exciting additions to the landscape to attract attention. Annual flowers are one of those essential yet exciting installations, as they can be rotated each season. Here are their benefits and what they can do for your property.
Annual Flowers versus Perennial Flowers
First we must identify the key difference between annual flower varieties, and perennial flower varieties. Perennial flowers make up the majority of plant material, as they go through their life cycle over a much longer period of time, and add consistent greenery to your plant beds. Annual flowers go through their life cycle in just one season, from bloom to death. This quality is what allows them to be “rotated” as they die off.
Fresh Color Each Season
The biggest benefit of rotating annual flowers is the creative freedom it gives you. Most properties have some sort of theme, and this may change with each season. While the spring is bright and cheery, the fall may be gloomy and dark. Because annual flowers can be carefully selected for their bloom and color, you can choose a new batch of annual flowers each season. Springtime can be filled with bright yellow blooms, and when fall comes, you can rotate into orange and purple. This ability to be creative will keep customers consistently coming back, wowed by the fresh color every few months.
Prevention of Disease and Pest Infestation
One downside of perennial flowers is that they are sitting ducks in your plant beds for potentially years. They are almost defenseless against disease or pest infestation, and these can often spread from plant to plant. Annual flowers are actually more resistant to disease and pests, and spend less time defending themselves as they are only present for a season. Then, you replace the flower and the new one must only defend itself for another season. This makes it exponentially more difficult for disease to establish, so make sure to select resistant annuals.
Increased Soil Diversity
Soil quality is largely determined by the diversity of microorganisms present. This is often determined by what is planted in the soil, and what they leave behind. When you use a new annual flower in the same soil each season, you are maximizing the biodiversity of your soil. This also prevents the potential for your soil to become depleted of any one nutrient, and this concept is rooted in agriculture best practices. Farmers across the country employ the same process by planting different crops in the same soil each year.
Dream Greener Lawn & Landscape is led by a staff of service experts, each with ten years or more of professional experience, focused exclusively on lawn care & maintenance, landscaping and snow & ice management. Locally owned and operated, we are proud to serve the greater Pittsburgh area. Give us a call today at (412) 835-1035.
