Maintenance professionals are constantly at a crossroads as whether to provide a design for the future or maintain the status quo. Given the ever-increasing budget constraints, maintenance organizations are strapped with trying to maintain old tree and shrub plantings, and caught between the choice of pruning, replacement, or simply removal.

Typically tree plantings are used to define the facility arrival sequence, highlight building entrances and provide shade for parking lots and seating areas. However, poor drainage, disease and poor selection of plants have left campuses in a state of disrepair and in need of a chainsaw or pruners.

The same holds true at a greater degree to much of the shrub plantings. After a fifteen to twenty year period, foundation plantings that were intended to provide a quick impact have not been properly maintained and need to be removed.

However, if trees are high maintenance, disease ridden, or overgrown, the maintenance staff needs to weight in on the options. The same holds true for many shrub foundation plantings. Most notable are those on site beyond the fifteen/twenty year period of installation. The question of how much maintenance, or removal becomes an issue.

The best approach may be a combination. As in all design solutions, it is best to allocate your resources where they will make the most impact. For example, if the foundation planting is over-grown and in disrepair, remove it and only provide shrub plantings to highlight the entrances. If tree plantings are adding more maintenance than shade, remove or replace them with trees that are hardy. If a cluster of unsightly plantings is providing very little in the way of a design statement as discussed earlier, just remove them.

Obviously, shade for parking and the emphasis of entrances and the like are very important. Use the resources wisely with replacements that will achieve your goals, even if smaller sized materials are the only option. Given time, they will grow. The following are some Top 10 Tips to help in the process of selecting the right solution.

1. Consider the use of native plants that are indigenous to the soil conditions and climate.

2. Whether installing new plantings or replacements, consider the following:

A. Soil conditions i.e., pH factor, soil type, and moisture;

B. Orientation and surrounding conditions i.e., north side of a building versus a southern exposure, proximity to solar heat gain from surrounding pavement and/or building façade, shady versus sunny conditions, and exposure to severe winter winds;

C. Avoid invasive plantings;

D. Avoid high maintenance generating plants that drop flowers, nuts and berries in locations adjacent to sidewalks and parking facilities. Additionally, avoid plantings that are notorious for weak branching, and ones that generate significant debris or are vulnerable to severe wind and winter damage.

3. Provide shrubs and/or groundcover for those areas that are difficult to mow, require soil stabilization, or areas that will not sustain turf due to shade or slope conditions. In some cases, provide paving for areas that receive constant pedestrian use.

4. Provide tree replacements or additional plantings that are disease resistant. Plant elm varieties resistant to Dutch elm disease, dogwoods in locations that make them less susceptible to antacnose, and avoid ash varieties that are prone to borers.

5. Be aware of deadly combinations of plants that result in rust disease as is prevalent in the combination of hawthorns and junipers.

6. Prune ornamental trees in September to ensure maximum winter hardiness and to allow for flowering growth to appear in the spring and summer.

7. Prune suckers and cross branches to retain the desire form of the trees.

8. Shrub pruning should respect the character of the plant. Many shrubs should be allowed to mass together as opposed to be pruned to a less natural, globe shape. Height should be maintained where necessary, but in most cases, pruning should be done on an annual basis at the least. Excessive pruning in older plants can leave bare areas destroying character and can take several years to recover.

9. Typically, excessive pruning and maintenance requirements result from installation of the wrong plants for the particular location. Careful thought needs to be provided in understanding the site program, exposure, drainage and soil conditions.

10. Finally, if the plantings are overgrown, have excessive dieback, or have outgrown their desired appearance, do not be afraid to remove them.

When necessary, contact a skilled professional to review the site to address problems and to provide a course of direction for the future. Following the right path can not only address problem areas, but can help in the design viability for the future.

Robert K. Esselburn , ASLA, is a principal with Lewis Scully Gionet Inc., a landscape architecture, land planning and urban design firm located in Tysons Corner, Virginia. For additional information, visit their web site, www.lsginc.com.