Your new commercial parking lot is more than just the beautiful expanse of dark, clean asphalt. It's also the landscaping you install in and around it. How can you use landscaping that helps and protects the parking lot itself? Here are a few tips. 

1. Avoid Anything Messy

Messy plants, trees, and shrubs will increase your workload as you struggle to keep both them and the asphalt looking neat. But — just as importantly — messy greenery adds debris, fruit, moss, and sap that can discolor or even eat away at the asphalt. You can't prevent all mess from natural landscaping, but you can minimize it. 

2. Watch Out for Roots

Most shrubs and flowers have roots small enough that they won't interfere with the asphalt. But when choosing trees and larger bushes, talk with both your paving contractor and landscaper about how far away or how deep to plant things with wide root systems. 

3. Grade Softscape Well

Drainage is a key factor in all parking lot designs. Without the right grade in the right directions, rain and snow will pool on the surface. This is a hazard to people and cars, and it's hazardous to asphalt. 

Spend as much time building the correct grade for landscaping — on all sides of the asphalt — so water doesn't spill down onto the lot. This is particularly important if you're planting any medians that will be fully enclosed by asphalt. 

4. Keep It Tidy

Whatever plants or trees you choose near asphalt, keep them trimmed neatly and avoid letting anything get overgrown. Why does this matter to the parking lot? 

Overgrowth hides damage to the asphalt itself. Regular visual inspection is the front line of asphalt defense. It allows you to catch cracks, breakage, and stains when they're small and new. But if you can't see these, you can't stop them early. 

5. Don't Block Views

Think about all landscaping choices in terms of what drivers and pedestrians will see as the plants mature. Small shrubs might be low when they're planted, but will they become large enough to block pedestrians from drivers' sight? Will those beautiful trees create blind corners? And will your attractive vines eventually cover important directional signage? 

Help everyone use your lot safely in the future with careful choices now. 

Where to Learn More

Want more tips for safe and healthy landscaping around your commercial asphalt lot? No matter what its size, your goals, or your budget, start by consulting with a commercial paving contractor in your area today.