Commercial landscaping
Healthcare, Senior Living & Wellness
Calm, green places for patients, residents, families and staff: views, courtyards and healing gardens for clinics, senior living and wellness practices.
Why it pays
A view of green has been measured in recovery.
In a well-known study, surgical patients whose windows looked out on trees went home sooner and needed fewer strong painkillers than patients who looked at a brick wall. Staff with views of nature take fewer sick days. For senior living and wellness practices, gardens also shape how families feel on a tour. Healing gardens are close to why this business exists.
The research
What the studies found
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7.96 vs. 8.70
days in hospital after surgery for patients with a window view of trees, against those facing a brick wall.
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1.13 vs. 3.96
negative nurse notes per patient: tree view against brick-wall view.
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57 vs. 68
hours of sick leave a year for staff with views of nature against those with none.
Where the value comes from
How better planting pays back
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01
Calmer arrivals
An entrance that feels like a garden, not a parking lot, settles people before they walk in.
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02
Views from rooms and lounges
Planting placed where people actually look out: patient rooms, waiting areas, dining rooms.
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03
Gardens residents can use
Raised beds, accessible paths and sensory plantings for residents to tend and enjoy.
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04
Staff who get a break
A quiet garden corner gives staff somewhere to step away during a long shift.
ROI calculator
What could planting return for you?
Put in your own figures. The estimate uses conservative ranges drawn from the research above, and grows as the plantings fill in.
Estimated net return after 20 years
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- Return on investment
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- Pays for itself
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- Total invested
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Net value, mid estimate Low to high
What this assumes
Uplift of 0.1% to 0.5% of revenue, deliberately small. The strongest evidence here is clinical (Ulrich, 1984), not financial. The money comes indirectly: families on tours, occupancy and staff retention. No study measures those for plantings, so the range is narrow and the real case is wellbeing.
Plantings take time to fill in, so the benefit grows: 35% in year 1, 70% in year 2, and 100% in year 3+.
Lawn turned to planting saves $0.03–$0.1 a square foot each year in mowing, watering and fertilizer, once the planting has settled in: 25% in year 1, 50% in year 2, and 100% in year 3+.
An estimate, not a promise. The ranges come from published research on trees, landscaping and green space, scaled down for one property's plantings; your results depend on your site, your customers and how the planting is cared for. Every study is linked on this page.
What we'd plant
Ideas for healthcare, senior living & wellness
- Healing and sensory gardens with accessible paths
- Raised beds residents can garden in
- Plantings outside patient and resident windows
- Medicinal and tea herb gardens
- Seasonal containers at entrances for families arriving
Sarah and her team have helped us both with a landscape design and installation project at a commercial rental property and with residential projects at our house. They are great with response times, organization and they just love all things plants. Really rewarding to work with.
Questions
Common questions from healthcare, senior living & wellness
Can you design gardens residents can use?
Yes: raised beds at comfortable heights, smooth paths, places to sit and plants chosen for scent, texture and safety.
Do you design medicinal or herb gardens?
Yes. Medicinal herbs are a specialty; see the herb spiral in our case studies.
How does a commercial project start?
With a visit to the property, on-site or virtual. We look at sun, soil, drainage, how people arrive and what you want the place to feel like, and then send a plan with clear next steps and a price.
Other industries
Planting that pays, wherever you do business
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Retail & Restaurants
Plantings that make people slow down, come in and come back: entrances, patios and storefront containers for shops, cafés and restaurants.
See the numbers -
Offices & Corporate Campuses
Grounds that help you lease space, welcome clients and give staff somewhere better to look, at lower upkeep than lawn.
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Apartments, HOAs & Rental Property
Curb appeal that helps units lease and residents stay: entrances, common areas and frontage for apartments, HOAs and rentals.
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Hotels, Inns & Event Venues
Grounds guests remember and photograph: entrances, patios, lakeside planters and gardens for hotels, inns, B&Bs and venues.
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Schools, Churches & Nonprofits
Gardens that serve a mission: outdoor classrooms, pollinator plantings, welcoming entrances and lower grounds costs for schools, churches and nonprofits.
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Municipal & Public Spaces
Downtown planters, park beds, medians and rain gardens for townships, villages, downtown authorities and parks.
See the numbers
Plan your project
Tell me about your property
A few quick questions, and I'll come back within 1–2 business days with ideas, next steps and a rough budget.