Landscape Revival: Landscape Renovation

Believe it or not, most landscapes require renovation. This may sound drastic, but if you ask your commercial and residential customers if there are certain aspects they would like to change about their landscapes – at least on some level – you’ll find out it’s true.

So, instead of lamenting over the possible changes, contractors can benefit by turning their project into profit. Every phase of the renovation process has promising potential for income.

THE AUDIT. A landscape renovation can be simple or thorough. When all is said and done, the process could simply involve moving a shrub or ornamental grass to another site because it is too tall and blocks a view or it needs more sun. The goal of a renovation is to achieve a sustainable landscape – one that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain. The first step of a renovation is the landscape audit.

Landscape installation is not the only industry segment that requires an audit prior to renovation. Irrigation contractors do audits on newly installed irrigation systems. Wise customers request audits on aging irrigation systems to increase efficiency and conserve water.

The audit is comprised of two parts: inventory and analysis. The inventory lists the condition of each landscape plant being considered in the project. To calculate inventory, use a map or sketch of the property to facilitate the documentation of the flaws and desirable attributes of each plant. Then, draw a circle or oval for each plant and write simple notes about the condition. Short phrases such as "thin and leggy" or "heavy scale infestation" will be very useful when deciding whether or not the plant should remain in the landscape. Begin at one end of the landscape, making notes about the size, shape, health, species, color and location of each plant.

Recording notes with a colleague will create a more objective assessment. Additional assistance with inventory can generate replacement plant ideas.

An analysis is more subjective – it’s the process of actually assigning a value judgment to the plants in the landscape and determining how well they meet the goals outlined by the client and initial landscape designer or architect. When the landscape was originally installed, analysis may not have been done. However, at this point it is not too late to conduct preventative measures to eliminate future problems.

To begin the analysis, lay a sheet of tracing paper or an overhead transparency over the inventory map. Use the information showing through from the inventory to reflect on the purposes of the plants in the landscape. Write a new set of notes on the top sheet relating to the notes underneath. Where the inventory indicates "thin and leggy," the analysis could read, "remove lilacs and replace with bottlebrush buckeye" or "prune overhead trees to allow more light penetration."

An effective site analysis considers soil, wind, sun exposure, water availability, drainage and neighboring landscapes. All of these factors affect the potential success or failure of the project. Also, interviewing your client’s neighbors can be helpful. An observant, long-term neighbor can be very helpful in remembering events or situations that the current owner has forgotten. Being told that a fire ravaged the south side of the building 10 years ago, that the third owner of the property had an uncle in the gypsum business and applied it continually to the turf or that the site used to be a gas station, can be helpful when conducting a site analysis.

In the analysis, also consider the landscape’s objective. The function of the landscape will affect the renovation process. In many cases, the inventory and analysis indicates a much greater level of traffic flow through the landscape than originally planned for, especially in commercial settings. Plant material that has grown too large is also a common occurrence.

Work with the client to match the site’s level of maintenance to their desire for time and money to be spent. Insurance buildings, professional offices and estates tend to be high maintenance areas, whereas school grounds, commons areas and residential sites are low maintenance. Your job as landscape renovator is to evaluate the owner's needs and suggest maintenance changes. These factors dictate the types of plant material chosen for the project.

Separate ornamentals from turf. One common problem contractors encounter in most landscape renovations is the need to separate these two components. These categories of plant material are very different. In general, turf requires more water, fertilizer and care than ornamentals. When they are co-located, their needs are compromised. When trees are placed in the middle of a thin turf strip, they receive more fertilizer and water than desirable, leading to rotting roots, over-succulent leaf growth and susceptibility to pest infestations.

Simply remove the trees and draw a new bed line for the ornamental plants. This will create a mass of turf. A large, uninterrupted piece of turf can be a very powerful statement in a landscape, especially when bordered by a clean bedline and well-groomed ornamentals of various levels and heights. This is the classic example of "mass/void," where the ornamentals are the mass and the turf is the void. Such landscapes are attractive because of the sharp contrast drawn by the two types of plant materials placed next to one another. A landscape utilizing mass/void will be functional as well. Traffic is facilitated easily and routed through the space, as opposed to a mixed landscape where pedestrians can be forced to change course several times.

Replacing the turf growing under the trees with a ground cover or some sort of plant that requires less sun, fertilizer and water creates a less drastic approach. Stepping stones or slate pieces can be installed to allow for movement through the landscape space. Again, the site inventory and analysis can help identify plant material that grows under trees.

CONSIDER EVENTUAL SIZE. As simple as it sounds, considering the eventual size – the width and height of the plants – is an important part of landscape renovation. This is a commonly violated principle, either out of laziness, ignorance or a desire for the landscape contractor or designer to immediately impress the client. Plant material placed too close together on a site is quite attractive for the first two growing seasons, but soon become compressed and develop fungal diseases due to restricted airflow through the leaf canopies.

Reviewing notes from the audit will indicate potential spacing problems. Adding similar or contrasting plants can provide the property owner with a more finished look. In crowded situations, remove certain plants to allow the landscape to mature.

CHOOSE REPLACEMENT PLANTS LAST. In most renovations, plants are selected and installed to replace ailing or overgrown specimens. This is one of the last phases of the renovation project, not the first. Be sure to choose the plants based on the needs of the owner and the conditions of the site. Avoid the temptation to use favorite plant materials or whatever your supplier has in excess at the time. Sure, the price is right, but the plant may be wrong.

To avoid mistakes when choosing plants, refer to the clipboard, and use a transparent third layer over the top of the first two. Start by drawing a basic shape of a plant – a circle, oval or oblong mass – and then define it with a plant category name. Write in "tall upright evergreen" or "mass of three leafy shrubs" to describe the plant shapes. Don’t be afraid to allow some of the plant masses to overlap a bit. After all, in the real landscape, this is the way they will look, especially if the customer desires layered plants.

After the plant masses are sketched, a fourth transparent layer can be used to identify options that will fit the category of plant material outlined. This is the phase of the renovation where "mass of three leafy shrubs with fall color" turns into "juddi viburnum."

FINAL PHASE. As with any project, the final phase is the evaluation. Even the best landscape renovation may need to be reworked, depending on the accuracy of the audit, inventory, analysis and client goals.

Evaluation is key to serving the client’s needs and honing your landscape skills. Learning from your mistakes, communicating with clients and interpreting job sites are essential elements to producing a quality landscape renovation.