Commercial landscaping
Retail & Restaurants
Plantings that make people slow down, come in and come back: entrances, patios and storefront containers for shops, cafés and restaurants.
Why it pays
Shoppers say they'll pay more where the street is green.
A storefront has a few seconds to say "come in". Full planters by the door, a patio edged in flowers and beds that look cared for tell people the business inside is cared for too. Research on business districts found shoppers would travel farther, stay longer, come more often and pay more where there's greenery. Your sidewalk and entrance are where that starts.
The research
What the studies found
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9–12%
more that shoppers said they'd pay for goods in business districts with trees and landscaping: 9% in small cities, 12% in large ones.
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More visits
Shoppers shown greener districts said they'd travel farther, stay longer and come more often.
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$3,950–$4,683
saved per acre each year, on average over ten years, by native plantings over mown turf.
Where the value comes from
How better planting pays back
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01
First impressions at the door
Containers and entry beds frame the door and pull the eye from the street, from the parking lot and from across the road.
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02
Patios people want to sit on
Planting that softens a patio and screens the parking lot makes outdoor seating feel like a place, not a sidewalk.
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03
Something new every season
Seasonal displays give regulars something new to notice and give you photos for your own posts.
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04
Less upkeep than lawn
Turning patchy turf into planted beds cuts mowing and gives a better look for the same care budget.
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 0.25% to 1% of annual sales. Wolf (2005) found shoppers said they'd pay 9–12% more in green business districts, but that's what they said, not what they spent, and it measures whole streets of trees. A single storefront's plantings are a much smaller change, so we use a fraction of the small-city figure.
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 retail & restaurants
- Seasonal containers and window boxes by the entrance
- Planted edges and screening around patios and outdoor seating
- Pollinator beds in place of strips of struggling lawn
- Parking-lot islands planted with tough natives
- Holiday and winter entry displays
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 retail & restaurants
Will plantings really bring in more customers?
No planting guarantees sales. What the research shows is that people say they'd visit more often, stay longer and pay more where a business district is green and cared for. Entrances and patios are where your customers notice it most.
Can you keep containers looking good all year?
Yes. A seasonal display program replants your containers for spring, summer, fall and the holidays, so the entrance never sits empty.
Do you build patios, walls or walkways?
No. Everything we do is plants: design, soil, planting, mulch and care. If your project needs hardscape, we can plan the planting around it and work alongside your contractor.
Other industries
Planting that pays, wherever you do business
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Offices & Corporate Campuses
Grounds that help you lease space, welcome clients and give staff somewhere better to look, at lower upkeep than lawn.
See the numbers -
Apartments, HOAs & Rental Property
Curb appeal that helps units lease and residents stay: entrances, common areas and frontage for apartments, HOAs and rentals.
See the numbers -
Hotels, Inns & Event Venues
Grounds guests remember and photograph: entrances, patios, lakeside planters and gardens for hotels, inns, B&Bs and venues.
See the numbers -
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.
See the numbers -
Schools, Churches & Nonprofits
Gardens that serve a mission: outdoor classrooms, pollinator plantings, welcoming entrances and lower grounds costs for schools, churches and nonprofits.
See the numbers -
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.