The landscaping around your business serves many purposes. Plants, trees, and paving projects can make your business more visually attractive and can add to the safety and security of the property. For landscape design that keeps your patrons safe, follow these tips.

1. Maintain Visibility

When working with the commercial landscaping service to choose plants, the main focus should be on selecting the plants that won't interfere with safety. For example, in parking lots and against buildings, you want to avoid tall shrubs where a possible thief could hide. Instead, plant low shrubs that are too low to provide cover near buildings or in parking lot islands, or opt for taller trees in parking lots to provide shade without providing a hiding place. It's also important to avoid any plants that could impact the visibility of cars leaving or entering the parking lot.

2. Direct Pedestrian Traffic

Landscaping can help control the flow of pedestrian traffic into as well as around your business. For example, if you have concerns about non-customers using your property as a shortcut, you can put up decorative walls or low hedges to prevent an area from being cut across. Sidewalks and pathways, when lined with small shrubs or flower beds, tend to keep the flow of pedestrians on the sidewalk and following the preferred path toward the building or parking lot.

3. Add Lighting

Lighting is an important part of any commercial landscape design. During early morning or evening business hours, lighting improves the safety of your building's exterior and parking lot for both employees and customers. Lights should line pathways and be placed at even intervals throughout parking lots. Uplighting against the building can help with both visibility for those entering and leaving and can make your building easier to find after the sun goes down.

4. Create Safety Barriers

Some areas around a business simply aren't safe for the general public. Examples of such areas include drainage gullies and ponds, ground-based HVAC or electrical boxes, or areas with heavy equipment. You can help prevent curious people from poking around in these areas by surrounding them with hard-to-pass-through landscaping. Look to thorny, dense bushes to create living fences, or install attractive retaining walls  around off limit areas. Retaining walls that have planters tucked into the top that are filled with lush plants are less likely to be climbed over than those with smooth tops that are easy to jump.

For more ideas and assistance, contact a commercial landscaping company such as Lawn Beautician, and begin working on your property's new landscape design today.