PROBLEMSOLVER
LANDSCAPE TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS » BY H. BRUCE HELLERICK
Keeping a property safe is
always a concern. In this
particular situation, an indi-
vidual was walking on the sidewalk, saw
a pretty flower along the wood line (left
side) did not see the grade change and
slipped and fell on the wet turf and fallen
leaves. Thankfully, the individual was more
embarrassed than angry. This situation
could have turned bad with the “wrong
individual” or if they had been injured.
What could be done to correct this situa-
tion in the future?
There are several
options to reduce the
chance of an accident
like this happening
again in the future. The first would be to
post “No Trespassing” signs on the site.
This may not sound neighborly but it does
help protect you legally. Another option
is to install fencing between the walk and
tree line to prevent trespassing on the site.
Depending upon the style of fence selected
the fencing could be very expensive and
could also add to the cost of maintenance
in the future. In this case, it was decided
to install “No Trespassing” signs and add
soil on the wood line side to match the
grade of the sidewalk. Add-
ing the soil helped solve the
grade change issue and still
simplified maintenance. It is a
landscape manager’s respon-
sibility to recognize potential
safety hazards on their cus-
tomers’ sites and then take
action or make clients aware
of these problems before an
injury occurs.
SOLUTION
Every day you see horticultural problems. Sometimes the solution is obvious, but others are much more difficult to solve. Brickman Group Senior
Horticulture Specialist H. Bruce Hellerick tackles these issues in Problem Solver. He can be reached at bhellerick@questex.com.
