<b>Trees, Ornamental & Bedding Plant:</b> Simplify your customer's landscape

As a landscape expert, you have customers seeking your guidance in creating beautiful outdoor spaces. Whether you are bidding on initial installation or providing maintenance to your customer’s property, consider evaluating the plans to see if there is room for improvement. Creative landscaping not only provides curb appeal but also boosts property value. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and help them to create a simple landscape that is low-maintenance with year-round color.

Keep it easy. Choose colorful shrubs that will beautify your customer’s garden year after year. Plant varieties that have been tested for best performance and disease resistance to ensure little maintenance once established.

Put down the pruners. Pick a plant with a compact size to fit nice and snug in the garden. Staying compact will help to eliminate time spent pruning. Plants like Mini Penny Hydrangea fit the bill. This popular repeat bloomer stays compact at 3- to 4-feet tall and wide, making it an ideal choice for tight spaces.

Year-round beauties. Repeat-blooming shrubs can yield flowers throughout the year. Mix it up by adding a backdrop of evergreen shrubs for beautiful foliage during dreary, winter months.

Conserve water. Incorporate drought-tolerant varieties into landscape plans to reduce water consumption. Less irrigation will save money and show a desire to conserve one of earth’s most valuable resources.

Keep the plant doctors away. Many new plant varieties on the market have been bred for disease resistance. Installing plants that are low-maintenance and require less spraying will show your customer that you’re thinking about bringing beauty to their property and that you value their time.

Added touches. Become an expert on specialty gardens. One of the hottest trends for 2010 is vegetable gardens. Incorporating fragrant herbs into designs will not only add beautiful greenery to the displays, but will give homeowners incentive to spend time in their gardens.
 

The author is landscape business manager for MNI Direct, a division of McCorkle Nurseries, Inc.