Parker's Cure for Desperate Office Plants.

Three Steps to Save Costs: Be Green, Lower Toxins and Water Use

SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J. -- Your office & building is full of highly sophisticated, technologically advanced equipment and methods of operating compared to offices of just ten years ago, with the exception of one item -- your Interior Plantscape service. Most live plants in commercial buildings are often serviced the same way they were back in the 1950's. Is this necessary? The answer is an absolute NO, according to several professional interior landscapers, such as Richard Parker out of New Jersey.

Plants offer such enormous environmental benefits (See www.plantsatwork.org). They clean the air you breathe increasing efficiency, improving morale and making your offices a more pleasant and enjoyable place to work. One adverse consideration around plantscaping property managers have includes a perceived high cost to deal with, and the "plant doctor" is visiting everyone's office once a week. Why? Because it has always been like that; however, it doesn't have to be!

Parker of Parker Interior Plantscape demonstrates how facility managers and building managers from all types of offices and workplaces can reduce costs. Parker lays out the following keys to minimize property management outsourced plantscaping costs:

Reducing the service visit.

Reducing the time spent servicing.

Reducing water and plant losses.

And doing all this while improving the quality of your displays.

Cut down on service visits

Discover plants that actually like to stay on the dry side. Get rid of the high water Spathiphyllum and go with a Warneckei instead.

Interiorscapers are no longer servicing the same variety of plants that they did 10 years ago! Interiorscapers have found that moving the inventory around and changing a few varieties can make all the difference in the world. With bi-monthly or even with every three-week (in some circumstances) service, the plants actually look and grow better than with weekly service.

Another way to accomplish reducing your need for weekly service visits is by the use of a controlled watering system. Controlled watering systems are water reservoirs specially constructed to fit under the plants inside the decorative plant container. Some even are the decorative planters themselves.

There is only one reason to have weekly service and that is if you have potted flowers in your facility. Some varieties of potted flowers require weekly service. However, there are many varieties that do not. While an Azalea must be cared for every week, a Kalanchoe or Bromeliad does not. Other flowers/plants that will give you color but do not require weekly visits include: Anthurium, Crotons, and Orchids.

Reducing the time spent servicing

The Horticultural technicians service time will be reduced automatically when you use plant varieties that require less water and therefore less time. With controlled watering systems you are also able to reduce the service time. You are watering the plants from underground where there is little evaporation instead of using surface watering techniques which are subject to higher evaporation rates and requires more water to achieve the same moisture levels at the root zone as controlled watering systems.

Reducing water and plant losses

The plant replacement cost affects you in two ways. First are plants that die due to customer damage, theft or cold damage. Your Horticultural contractor should sit down with you and discuss the placement of the plants and the varieties used at your site to see if changes can reduce your replacement costs.

With the use of controlled watering systems, the reduction in plant replacements should be factored in by your contractor. Not only will you reduce the frequency of watering, but plant losses are substantially reduced because plants grown on controlled watering systems are healthier, less stressed and resist insects and diseases better.

If you had an old computer that worked slowly, would you keep firing your computer repair company and try a new one, or would you sit down with a representative from the computer company to discuss the options for upgrading by incorporating new technology to increase your computers efficiency? Parker Interior Plantscape is really about maximizing the technology and advancements available for every office.

About Parker Interior Plantscape

Parker is currently the largest privately owned interiorscape company in the US, having received several awards from the White House. They have done jobs in Hong Kong, Paradise Island, Bermuda, Japan, and every populated state in the USA. Parker services over 1,000 buildings for over $12 million dollars in total revenue each year. Parker maintains the highest customer retention rate in the industry at 95%. Learn more about Parker Companies and Parker 3D Display where fantasy, sculpture and special events come together. Call 908-322-5555 and visit http://www.parkerplants.com/