Texas Lawn Care Tips & Landscaping Advice | Grassperson

Landscape Tips for High Traffic Commercial Areas: Including 8 Great Plants to Use

Written by Jack Moore | Sep 3, 2024 2:51:25 PM

As a commercial property manager or key decision maker, you have a lot of people to please with your landscaping decisions. Choosing plants for commercial landscaping might seem like a relatively simple task but if you have high traffic areas, you might not feel confident about what selections are best. There are multiple factors that come into play.

After all, it can be challenging to maintain an aesthetic landscape in these high traffic areas. You need to balance aesthetics with durable and low maintenance choices that can withstand heavy volume. Commercial properties are going to see much more foot traffic throughout their landscape than a residential property.

In this article, we’ll talk about why it’s so important to make wise choices for your high volume commercial property. We will also cover some of the commercial plants that are best for busy properties. 



Some of our favorites include:

  1. Firepower Nandina
  2. Liriope
  3. Sunshine Ligustrums
  4. Purple Loropetalum
  5. Brakelight Yucca
  6. Adams Needle
  7. Color Guard Yucca
  8. American Agave

These plants can check all the boxes of being durable, low maintenance, and aesthetically pleasing.

Characteristics of Plants for Commercial Landscaping

No matter what type of commercial property you manage, it likely has a lot of vehicle and foot traffic. Whether it’s part of an HOA, a retail space, a healthcare facility, or something else, you’re likely looking to make visitors and residents feel welcomed with beautiful landscaping.

That’s why it can also be frustrating when these areas become trampled. If you’ve invested in attractive landscaping, the last thing you want to see is people cutting corners through plant beds or across the landscape. But you know it often can’t be avoided.

For that reason, looking for highly durable and easy-to-maintain commercial plants is key. Plants that are drought and heat tolerant also work well in the commercial landscape. 


Keep in mind that another viable solution for dealing with heavy foot traffic through landscaping is adding walkways that direct visitors and residents where you want them to go. This can help them avoid short cuts which take them through your precious plant material.

That being said, even plants along commercial walkways need to be hardy choices that will stand up to people passing through.

Below, we’ll share some of our favorite commercial plants for this purpose.

Top Commercial Plants

Plants that are both aesthetically appealing and durable make excellent choices for commercial properties. The following 8 choices all make excellent picks.

Firepower Nandina

Green in the spring/summer and red in the fall, this plant delivers colorful appeal while also remaining a hardy choice that will hold up in tough conditions. It is characterized as having a “low and neat” growth pattern

Liriope

You might also be looking for ground cover for heavy foot traffic. This plant is a great groundcover choice if you have a large plant bed to fill. It is a flowering grass and can be very tolerant of hot, dry conditions. It blooms with white and purple flowers and has ribbon-like leaves that offer long appeal.

Sunshine Ligustrum

Sunshine Ligustrum has bright golden foliage that performs well in full sun. It tends to work well as a hedge plant. It is said to be low maintenance in terms of overall care. It generally reaches a height of three to six feet and a width of three to four feet, which makes it highly versatile in any space.

Purple Loropetalum

The rich purple foliage of this shrub makes it an eye-catching addition to your commercial landscape. It also happens to be highly versatile and can withstand a number of conditions and even varying sunlight.

Brakelight Yucca

This perennial grows into a dense clumping plant that works great to fill in a commercial plant bed. It can grow up to two feet tall. The flowering stalks are a deep red that make it a highly appealing addition to your commercial landscape. Yet, this is a hearty commercial plant that can stand up to wear and tear.

Adams Needle

This slow-growing evergreen succulent often makes a great choice for Southwest style landscapes. This plant’s hardy growth habits makes it a great choice for any commercial property. 

Color Guard Yucca

The upright, sword-like foliage of Color Guard Yucca helps give commercial properties some fun aesthetic appeal. But it’s also a very low maintenance plant that works well in a high volume setting.

American Agave

This succulent plant is an attractive addition that can survive even harsh conditions. If you choose to incorporate rocks into your plant beds, the agave can still perform well (whereas many plants cannot). It makes for a highly versatile commercial plant for your landscape.

Tips for Maintaining Commercial Landscapes

Even low maintenance and hardy plant choices will require some ongoing care. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re keeping up with other important commercial landscaping tasks like turf care, seasonal mulching, tree and shrub care, and irrigation management.

Keeping up with adding and changing new commercial plants can also help maintain the value of your property.

Commercial sites that fail to keep up with ongoing improvements are going to fall behind as others make that effort. Professional landscape design services in Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Highland Village TX can help you make the best choices for your commercial property.

All of this can admittedly be a lot to keep up with which is why we recommend working with a pro. When you’re able to hand your commercial landscape maintenance services off to a professional you can really trust to get everything done right, that’s one huge burden off your shoulders.

Choosing Landscape Design Services in Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Highland Village TX 

Working with a professional can help ensure that you get the best commercial plants for your property.

We know that it can be stressful to feel as though you’re creating an attractive landscape that can still withstand heavy volume. It’s important to work with a landscaping company that can help you solve problems that you’re having…and also improve your property’s curb appeal and value.

At Grassperson, we are ready and eager to help. There is nothing that we enjoy more than helping local business owners and property managers ensure that their commercial spaces are the best they can be.



Let a pro get your commercial landscape in the best shape. Get a free quote and then get ready to reap the benefits.