Properly preparing soil, using native plants, capturing rainwater, reducing pruning and mowing less often all positively contribute to a community's appearance and bottom line.

While cabbages are great in slaws and other delectable dishes, they are no longer the hot item for garden pizzazz. Native plants are riding the wave of popularity for a host of reasons, including hardiness in local climate conditions and the variety they offer in texture, color, shape and size.

"Native planting is really the way to go these days," says Sharon Bradley, RLA, principal, Bradley Site Design, an architecture firm in Washington, D.C., that specializes in residential landscaping. Native plants will thrive in their local environment; they can help with drainage issues, survive in dry or wet weather, or in both when weather conditions vary widely, the 30-year veteran of landscape architecture says.

But even with native plants, don't overdo it in a single spot, she advises. Bradley says using an array of plants in one bed can offer myriad textures for year-round interest. For example, evergreens would offer color throughout the year with one texture, while ornamental grasses provide interesting shapes and different textures throughout the seasons. Some shrubs will flower in spring and others will produce colorful berries in winter.

A few D.C. metro native plants Bradley likes to use for multifamily communities are tolerant of drought or moist conditions, good for wildlife and are especially hardy. They are Clethra (known as Summersweet), "Hummingbird" variety, with a maximum height of 3 feet; Itea (known as Virginia Sweetspire), a flowering shrub; and Inkberry Holly, large and dwarf versions, producing a lot of red berries in winter.

Taking Root on Time

Selecting the right plants is one thing, but getting them into the ground at the right time is another. Generally, the best time for installing plants is early fall, Bradley says. By planting in the fall, the vegetation is able to establish a deep root system before summer heat sets in.

For warmer climates, Bradley says, such as Florida, irrigation systems are necessary so the season for planting is not as critical and more likely to be determined by plant availability, although the hot summer months should generally be avoided for plant installation.

Prune Staff Obligation

Generally speaking, garden and yard maintenance can be reduced by selecting the right "plant palate," Bradley says. This means avoiding plants that drop a lot of leaves, seed pods and roots that staff would have to clean up, she notes, thereby trimming time from grounds maintenance.

Bradley digs up more savings by recommending less pruning. She suggests "planting things under windows that will reach mature height below the sill height so they don't have to be pruned," trimming a job from a grounds keeper.

Also, eliminate pruning that is performed to clear windows and doors for crime prevention by using plants that have the right outline, Bradley maintains. Selecting shrubs that won't encroach on windows or block doors will reduce trimming needs, and create an aesthetic and safe environment.

Following Bradley's ideas to reduce time spent on yard cleanup as well as pruning can free up grounds workers to hand-weed beds instead of line trimming. While this might sound more time consuming, ultimately this procedure saves time and money, she says. The landscape expert explains that a line trimmer doesn't eliminate weeds and often damages the plants a community is trying to maintain. Hand-weeding gets things done for the long-term and protects plants.

Water Down Costs

Plant roots can drink to the savings, too. The need for irrigation can be reduced by planting where water naturally collects, Bradley says. For example, a hollow in the ground where water pools is a good place for a bed of moisture-loving plants, reducing irrigation needs.

Also, a community can reduce city water usage-and its water bill-by capturing rainwater in a cistern and using that for irrigation, where possible, Bradley says. Rainwater is far cheaper than city water, and it's simple to collect and distribute, she notes.

Soaker hoses can make a money-savings difference, too. They snake through plant beds to deliver water at the roots, unlike spray heads or sprinklers that leave water on leaves where it can cause black spots, she explains. Thus, soaker hoses are "the most cost-efficient watering system," Bradley says.

Bradley says proper preparation of soil is another mitigating factor in plant maintenance and replacement costs. "One of the most important things to do [in landscaping] is a good deep soil preparation where you'll do planting," she says, ranging from 4 inches to 6 inches deep for grass and up to at least 2 feet for trees, to provide a healthy foundation for roots. 

In some regions, where the soil is too poor to amend, earth should be removed altogether and replaced with high nutrient soil, Bradley advises. Otherwise, organic material such as compost should be worked into the existing soil, she suggests.

If these steps are not taken and plants aren't given a healthy basis, Bradley cautions, plant maintenance costs increase exponentially and replacement costs can be high.

Avoid These Mistakes

As simple as much of this sounds, several errors are commonplace. "The most common mistake is neglecting soil content," Bradley states. She emphasizes repeatedly the need for healthy soil-work in compost and get nutrients into the soil so the plants can thrive.

Cutting grass too short is another misstep. Keep grass blades at least 3 inches to 4 inches long, she says. Since the roots aren't exposed to the sun, they can be watered and fertilized less often, following the general rule of an inch of water a week for lawns, whether from rain itself or other irrigation. (Need varies for new grass.)

Over-pruning is not a rare concern either. Bradley says, "A lot of beautiful plants, especially native plants, usually have nice natural outlines;" however, turning plants into "little balls" or the favored "gumdrop shape" is no good. She likes plants' soft natural outline. Prune less and put grounds crews elsewhere, she recommends.

On a shoestring budget, or maybe a clematis vine, what can a community do?

"If you look at a college campus that is gorgeous, it's good grass and good trees," Bradley notes. To attain those two primary elements, she recommends focusing a budget on well-established turf, either seed or sod. As for the trees, she suggests sourcing high-quality varieties and planning for the roots to have space to grow. If planting trees in a row, a trench path for good soil will guide the roots and keep them away from pavement and foundations, the expert says.

After those essentials are taken care of, plan "something special in a couple of key areas," Bradley says. Highlight the property management office, the community sign or a key corner with seasonal plants, perennials and ornamental grasses, she advises. 

Rachel F. Goldberg is a freelance reporter.

Plant I.D. Cards

With gloves on and tools at the ready, the community grounds crew is prepared to tackle the downed leaves, fallen sticks and accumulated weeds. But, they sometimes can't distinguish a weed from a plant, which could result in a fine planting in the waste bag.

"Teaching crew members plant identification is really useful," says Sharon Bradley, "so they know when an emerging perennial might look like a weed and don't want to pull that out."

Enter plant I.D. cards. Bradley says that for her multifamily housing clients she will create a card for each plant specified for a community. On each card is a picture of the plant in spring, so the grounds crew knows how it will look at that time of year. The grounds crew can then differentiate a good plant from a weed and "know how it is supposed to look so they don't do things to it that will make it look otherwise," Bradley says, either pull it or trim it.

All the I.D. cards go into a book that property management keeps for use by whoever needs it at a community. —R.G.