Improve Common Area Landscaping by Pro Landscape Utah

What are Common Areas?

Many commercial properties have common areas. These are the shared spaces where people may go to enjoy a picnic, relax, read a book, throw a Frisbee™, or just sit and enjoy themselves outdoors. Common areas are often found in apartment complexes, office parks, universities, or assisted living communities, and they can create ambiance and a sense of community.

Why Are Common Areas Important?

There are many advantages to providing attractive common areas:

In an office park, they give workers a place to take a break, get some fresh air, and relax so that they can return to work refreshed and ready to accomplish the rest of the day’s work.
On a college campus, common areas are there for students to gather, connect, study, work on group projects, or just relax between classes.
Apartment complexes provide common spaces for their residents to walk or meet other residents, while children in the complex are provided a place to run and play.
A prospective tenant, either commercial or residential, will be more likely to choose a location that offers attractive and well-designed common areas.
In a retail setting, common areas tend to cause shoppers to hang around longer, meaning that they’ll likely keep shopping and spend more money.

Types of Common Areas

Seating areas – There’s a very good reason why park benches were invented. Spending time outside is great, and there’s something about a nice long walk, but it’s also refreshing and relaxing to just sit down. Your seating area can be something as simple as a small courtyard with a few benches or something more elaborate with plantings, sculptures, or water features.

Gardens and flower beds – Add a touch of tranquillity to your common areas by planting shade trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. Choose a variety of flowering plants that will provide blooms all during the spring and summer months. It’s best to use native plants, as they’re able to handle the weather in your particular area.

Walking paths – Many people would say that walking paths are their favorite feature in common areas. They encourage people to get out, exercise, and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine outside. Trails or paths create a place for people to jog or walk, and they help to keep people from walking or running over grassy areas. Common materials for these paths could be gravel, mulch, stepping stones, or poured concrete.

Playgrounds– Kids love a playground, and parents love to watch their kids run, play, swing, or climb. If you’re setting up a play area, try to include different types of equipment suitable for kids of different ages. It’s important to choose a proper material for the surface beneath the playground equipment. Some of the options for this are wood chips, play sand or rubber mulch. These materials will keep grass or weeds from growing in the play areas, and they’ll offer the children a bit of a cushion if they happen to take a spill.

Patios – Patios provide a tranquil space for people to gather and chat or read a book. They’re also a great place to add features such as a fish pond, a gas grill, or a firepit. Surrounding a patio with shrubs or planters will give a sense of privacy.

Tips for Maintaining Your Common Areas

While we’ve been touting all of the benefits of attractive landscaping for your common areas, let’s don’t forget about maintenance. You’ll want to try to minimize the amount of maintenance these areas will require. Here are a couple of suggestions that may help:

Start small – Don’t try to take on a huge project, but rather identify one or two important areas on your property that need improvement. Sprucing up high-traffic areas like entrances is a good place to start.

Consider Use – Who’s going to be accessing your common spaces, and how will they use them? In a work setting, employees will enjoy using the spaces between shifts or breaks. Attractive landscaping features in an apartment complex may be the deciding factor for a potential resident to choose your property over another.

Add Variety – Landscaping plans for your common areas can be as varied as you choose. A combination of patios, trails, seating areas, water features, and special lighting can make your property stand out.

Get Advice from a Landscaping Professional

When you’re looking to improve your property’s outdoor appeal, Pro Landscape Utah is the company you can trust to do the job. We are a family-owned and operated business that has served the citizens of Davis and Weber Counties for over a decade. Our mission is to provide healthy and beautiful outdoor living spaces tailored to our customer’s particular needs. We offer the installation of landscaping, fencing, and sprinkler systems, as well as leveling and grading services.

Our landscape professionals have years of experience in landscaping and construction and are experts in the many aspects of landscape design and installation. Our personalized approach to each project can make your outdoor dreams a reality. If you’d like more information about the products and services we offer, please visit our website, or give us a call at 801-436-7992. We look forward to serving you!