Commercial Gardening Maintenance: Major Mistakes That Businesses Make

Outdoor areas impact how customers and employees feel about your business. It also contributes to the overall value of the property over time. But a lot of businesses in Melbourne fall into habits that hurt their gardens and lead to unnecessary costs. 

These problems arise when commercial garden maintenance is rushed or handled by teams without garden experience working in a commercial setting. At Bayside Gardening, we have over 20 years of experience with garden maintenance in Melbourne. 

We’ve partnered with businesses, strata groups, and commercial facilities in Melbourne, and we know the common mistakes with commercial gardening. Keep reading, as we will discuss what goes wrong and how the right approach can help avoid problems in the future.

Major Garden Maintenance Mistakes Businesses Make

1. Treating Garden Maintenance as an Afterthought

When outdoor care falls behind other important tasks, the signs show up right away:

• Overgrown hedges.
• Patchy lawns.
• Unmanaged plant decline.
• Missed pruning cycles.

Even before guests enter, a neglected outdoor space detracts from your professional image. Melbourne’s erratic weather can hasten deterioration and raise repair costs in the absence of regular garden maintenance.

2. Hiring Non-specialised or Occasional Contractors (H3)

If you choose the cheapest option, you might end up hiring someone who only mows the lawn instead of delivering proper commercial gardening services. This often leads to:

• Poor plant selection.
• Incorrect pruning techniques.
• Poor nutrient and soil management.
• Temporary solutions without long-term planning.

An effective commercial gardening service has basic maintenance skills. Teams with experience know about the soil structure and how irrigation systems work and have knowledge about microclimates and pest risks across commercial properties.

3. Ignoring Melbourne’s Microclimates

Melbourne has a wide range of growing conditions, from coastal winds near Bayside to shady courtyards in the city. When businesses don’t pay attention to these things, the following problems can arise:

• Plants fail due to unsuitable placement.
• Watering schedules clash with heat patterns.
• Fertilising occurs at the wrong time.

Knowing about microclimates is important for getting consistent results during commercial garden maintenance.

4. No Seasonal Maintenance Strategy

A lot of businesses rely on reactive maintenance instead of planned maintenance. This increases cost and puts more stress on the plant. A structured approach to commercial gardening includes:

• Watering plans for the summer, adding mulch, and mowing adjustments.
• Autumn leaf removal, drainage checks, lawn strengthening.
• Pruning in the winter, improvement in soil, and structural checks.
• Weed control, spring planting, and fertilising.

Planning for different seasons keeps it reliable all year round and cuts down on emergency calls.

5. Poor Irrigation Planning and Water Mismanagement

One of the most common problems with maintenance is watering plants incorrectly. This results in:

• Fungal problems.
• Root rot.
• Water-stressed plants.
• High water bills.

Smart irrigation systems facilitate successful commercial garden maintenance without utilising much water.

6. Neglecting Soil Health

Healthy soil is the most important part of every garden maintenance job. When you don’t pay attention to the soil:

• Plant growth weakens.
• Fertiliser becomes ineffective.
• Drainage issues appear.

Professional garden maintenance takes into consideration regular soil testing, balancing the pH, and following sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches, especially for high-use commercial sites that get a lot of use.

7. Lack of Safety and Risk Management

Poor upkeep creates preventable hazards across commercial properties:

• Overhanging branches.
• Slippery pathways.
• Trip risks.
• Reduced visibility near entrances.

Routine commercial garden maintenance helps businesses meet safety requirements while lowering liability risks.

8. Not Planning for Growth and Future Needs

Commercial gardens evolve. Problems occur when:

• Plants are installed without considering mature size.
• Root systems interfere with paths or structures.
• Temporary fixes replace long-term solutions.

Future planning is a key part of effective garden maintenance services and reduces future repair costs.

Conclusion

We understood the outer garden in your commercial space impacts how your business is perceived. Costs can go up and plant health can decline when commercial garden maintenance isn’t done consistently or by someone who lacks the required knowledge. 

Bayside Gardening brings decades of experience delivering garden maintenance in Moorabbin and nearby areas. If your property needs dependable local garden maintenance services, our team is ready to provide professional support.