FAQ
Q: What does "sustainable landscaping" mean?
A: There are varying definitions, however sustainable landscaping should include functional, cost efficient, visually pleasing, environmentally friendly and maintainable areas. Sustainable horticultural practices are intended not only to meet the needs of our current generation, and your business, but have little or no impact on future generations as well.
Q: What are typical short and long-term goals of switching to a sustainable landscape?
A: While these goals will adjust to be in-line with the priorities and mission of your business, in general short-term goals are about the changes in method of garden care. This can include changing plant-life and utilizing more organic materials. Long-term goals are more outcome-oriented and often include lowering of your overhead costs and saving resources. Marizco Landscape Management can help you to choose short and long term goals that are the most appropriate for your business and give you expert guidance on how to effectively meet these milestones.
Q: Does sustainable landscape practice affect the aesthetics of my real estate? Am I trading form for function?
A: This is truly the beauty of a sustainable landscaping model. Nothing is compromised. There are a myriad of beautiful plants that thrive with little assistance, and little assistance means lowered overhead. A sustainable landscape yields a quick rate of return on investment for your overhead and your curb appeal. In fact, green-conscious garden configurations are often much more interesting and visually engaging than the traditional commercial turf.
Q: How much money can my business save by installing a sustainable, regionally appropriate, commercial landscape?
A: Over 20 years, the standard sod landscape requires $50,000 per 1000 sq. ft. to maintain including, but not limited to, irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor. This maintenance is, on average, 80% of the cost of keeping grounds tended. This makes sustainable, regionally appropriate, gardening significantly more cost efficient for your bottom line.
Q: How much natural resource is saved by using sustainable gardening practices and why is that good business?
A: There's no getting around the fact that green business practices are in fashion and thus adopting them is good marketing. The standard sod landscape requires 20,000 gallons of water for every 1,000 sq. ft. per month during the drier times of the year. This is roughly equivalent to the volume of the average swimming pool. About 6 swimming pools worth of water is used per year per 1,000 sq. ft. The US uses more fertilizer on non-sustainable landscapes than the entire third world uses to grow its food supply.
First impressions matter most when you're talking about real estate. A properly managed sustainable landscape covering the same area of real estate cannot only reduce the use of resources, and their related costs, by up to 80%, but it's good PR. No constant sprinklers, little to no gas powered machinery, or any other practice (or plant) that suggests anything other than efficiency and environmental consciousness.
Q: How much time and labor might I save by having a sustainable landscape around my property?
A: Traditional commercial real estate has lawns, hedges, and pesticides, etc. are not only resource and money intensive but TIME intensive. In business, time is money. Sod and hedges need to be manicured and invasives need to be pulled and sprayed. Any plant placed because it's popular and pretty, but not regionally appropriate will wither and die without a lot of employee attention. Spend more money bringing in new business and significantly less money keeping your real estate investment tended.
Sustainable landscapes use mulch for weed control and the plant growth is generally part of the architecture plan and thus doesn't require much primping or pruning. Plants are chosen based on the region and the size of the space so that they are contextually appropriate and set up for success upon maturity. This means that rather than regularly replacing and replanting you have a long-term solution that you can feel good about showing to your customers and the community.