A walk through the grass… or not
We see it all to often you pull onto your site and see a line through a parking lot island where mulch has been eroded down by foot traffic, shrubs broken and laying beside the curb, or a path where the grass has been turned to dirt.
I’ve seen beautiful perennials trampled to dust by people just trying to get where they are going by taking the quickest way possible. The area of least resistance is the path that most people will take when moving about your commercial property or HOA amenities. We are, after all, busy people that have things to do.
we at Commercial Landscape Management call them goat paths, and you only have two options in dealing with them. You can embrace them, or deter them. To embrace a goat path, simply add a professional walking path in the area. You can use flagstone, stepping stones or even go the extra mile and put in landscape timbers with a nice rock or gravel surface. You can add plantings that are an attraction to encourage people to walk where you want them to. If this is something you would be interested in make sure you check out our blog on requesting and comparing proposals here
To deter it, use plants that are not fun to your everyday walker. This can be barberries or Carissa hollies. Plant them where they grow in and touch sooner rather than later. If it’s a grass area, incorporate it into a planted space or plant on either side of the path along the curb or walkway they are trying to access.
One thing to keep in mind is safety. Don’t put a deterrent in that people can trip over. Low fences and large rocks tend to just lead to accidents. Whether you decide to embrace, or deter, be sure to contact a commercial landscape professional to help you choose something that looks nice, and is safe for the people visiting your site.