Year after year, summer brings a wave of new growth and a rush to the outdoors. As a commercial property manager, you know it also brings a few headaches.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of a well-maintained property. After all, when you walk into a space that cares, you simply know by feeling. It’s not all about aesthetics either; a healthy, functional landscape creates a welcoming environment for tenants, customers, and visitors while simultaneously contributing to the property’s curb appeal and overall value.
Put that way, it starts to sound more like a valuable investment than a hobby project.
Keeping your commercial property in top shape throughout the summer can be exhausting. Between maintaining landscapes and dealing with tenants, it’s always about finding balance, like shade plants and tall trees. To help you manage your property with less hassle, we’ve become Edmonton’s one-stop shop for everything exterior—offering just about any service you need to maintain a beautiful and functional space.Our blog today will provide you with practical tips for summer landscaping and property maintenance. However, if you’re still catching up on other parts of your business from past seasons, that’s no problem—Naco can professionally handle these projects, freeing you to focus on running and improving your property business. It’s as easy as calling for a free quote!
Mowing and Edging Your Lawn
A lawn, even one comprised of native grasses, is as basic as commercial landscaping gets. Regularly mowing your grass to an appropriate height promotes healthy growth, discourages weeds, and shows dedication to your property. Additionally, professional edging defines the border between your lawn and walkways or flower beds, creating a crisp, finished look—especially for businesses with brickwork.
Let us fight the lawn for you. Naco’s experienced crews can ensure each corner of your property is maintained to an even and consistent height as rainfall changes your grass’ growth habits and greens spill where they don’t belong.
Weed Control for Property Managers
Weeds are not only unsightly and hard to remove, but they also compete for nutrition against the plants you just bought. Simply put, no one gets what they want—not your tenants, your garden, or your wallet.
Some species, like dandelions, are wholly unavoidable. Others, like creeping bellflowers, can actually see you fined by the city. Identification is essential, as you don’t want a “helpful” hand pulling out desirable flowers and setting back your landscaping budget.
For long-term control, pre-emergent herbicide application in the spring can help prevent weeds from germinating and spreading more seeds. You’re not alone—Naco’s landscaping team offers bespoke weed control solutions, including targeted hand-pulling and safe, measured application of city-permitted herbicides.
Trimming, Pruning, and Maintaining Trees
Overgrown shrubs and trees can not only block walkways and signage but also detract from the overall aesthetic of your property. Besides clearing the way for better views, regular trimming and pruning encourages healthy growth and can improve flowering and fruit yields since plants won’t waste energy investing in suckers and small growths.
Naco’s arborists have the expertise to properly trim and prune your trees and shrubs, ensuring you keep the best parts of the plant without being overrun as the rest of your lawn blossoms. It might also save you money when it comes to sweeping and eavestrough cleaning!
Permaculture, Mulching, and Edging
Mulch serves several essential purposes for any garden. It helps retain moisture in the soil, reducing the watering load and associated gardening costs. Additionally, it suppresses weed growth and adds a polished, professional touch to your planter beds.
Edging your flower beds with stone, pavers, or even hardy perennials adds to the look of your property while preventing mulch from spreading onto walkways during wind or rain. In partnership with local producers, Naco offers a variety of mulching materials and edging options to suit your budget and aesthetic preferences, as well as the expertise to install it right the first time.
Maintaining Walkways and Parking Lots for Safety
Summer inevitably brings increased foot traffic and parking lot use. Like city roads, regularly sweeping your walkways and parking lots removes debris, dirt, and litter. This minor tune-up prevents slip-and-fall hazards while maintaining your property’s appearance. Not having to squint during windy days doesn’t hurt either!
With both safety and beauty in mind, Naco’s comprehensive parking lot and sidewalk maintenance services include sweeping, power washing, line painting, and even seal-coating to keep your paved surfaces safe, attractive, and long-lived. For busy managers, that meant you wouldn’t need to bring in an external contractor and extensively quote shop.
Creating Inviting Outdoor Spaces
With landscaping out of the way, it’s time to showcase a unique style to visitors! Summer is prime time for tenants and visitors to enjoy the outdoors for lunch, gatherings, or a quick break during the work day.
Not every building needs a willow maze or massive pergola. Consider setting up a few designated seating areas with comfortable furniture and shade umbrellas. Annual flowers and custom walkways can add to the experience as our landscaping professionals maintain them (including deadheading, watering, and pruning).
Addressing Pest Control and Outdoor Nuisances
Pests like mosquitoes, wasps, and mice can quickly turn a relaxing outdoor space into a nightmare, especially when bodies of stagnant water are nearby. Naco offers a variety of eco-friendly pest control solutions to keep your property free from unwanted guests.
Choosing the right tool for insect control is essential, as many retail remedies actually do more harm than good. For those bigger pests, remember: any time you’re dealing with a stray animal, use the utmost caution. Or, better yet, contact local animal control authorities.
Summer Safety for Property Managers
Aesthetics and comfort are more fun to talk about, but we also have to mention how building owners and managers can use summer as a chance to improve safety on and around their property.
- Summer Safety Check – The extended daylight hours of summer can be an excellent time for outdoor activities, but it’s also essential to ensure your property’s safety systems are in top working order. Naco recommends scheduling a summer safety check to review fire alarms, security cameras, and emergency exits. We can also work to recommend proper lighting throughout the property, improving visibility and deterring potential security risks.
- Fire Prevention Plans – Summer’s heat and dry conditions increase the fire risk—especially in the windy prairies. Naco can help you develop a fire prevention plan that includes regular inspections of grills, proper waste disposal procedures, and ensuring fire extinguishers are readily accessible and in good working order.
- Security and Curb Appeal- Cleanliness improves a property more than you think, in no small part due to increasing your tenant’s foot traffic (and with that, more eyes on the property.) Naco will help you identify specific summer maintenance requirements that deter loitering and vandalism, such as increased trash removal, adjusting irrigation schedules to accommodate the hotter temperatures and prevent “abandoned” garden beds, or addressing property damage that arose over the winter.
Everything starts with identifying opportunities for maintenance. We’re familiar with the challenges the seasons bring, and our team can conduct a thorough summer inspection that builds on good winter habits. Together, we’ll identify any issues, from cracked walkways to leaky sprinkler heads, ensuring your property remains in top condition as the season progresses.If you already have a dedicated maintenance person—even better! We’re happy to help you design a comprehensive summer maintenance checklist that keeps you and your team organized. We’re big fans of being proactive, 12 months a year, inside and out.
Naco Makes Summer Landscape Maintenance Simply
Maintaining a beautiful and functional commercial landscape throughout the summer is a time-consuming task, even when you have all the tools. Naco Commercial Property Solutions is your one-stop solution for exterior maintenance. We take the hassle out of summer landscape care, allowing you to focus on what matters most – your business. Contact Naco today for a free quote, and let us help you create a lively, inviting, and functional summer landscape for your commercial property.