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Back in my days of roofing and chimney sweeping, Cooperfield-- a big chimney cap and liner manufacturer-- promoted the concept of creating "Customers for Life".
The primary idea was to schedule the next sweep a year in advance, complete with handy postcards and refrigerator magnets, to insure that you got back in the customer's home to make the service call, as well as creating an opportunity for add-ons like new andirons, hearth rugs, etc.
Landscaping isn't chimney sweeping, but they are both service industries where established clients who consistently buy repeat services are a great way to bypass cut-throat competition and to insure a base level of sales.
I think plant replacement offers a similar opportunity to create customers for life. In fact, a return visit could be pre-scheduled roughly a year after the installation completion to evaluate the landscape, get face time with the client, and hopefully sell more services. The actual plant replacement could then be bundled in with the performance of the additional services.
Again, around here, as in most places, the 1 year no hassle plant guarantee is industry standard, and arguing with potential clients about why you don't offer it, creates a huge obstacle to sales.
I'd rather first get to the point where I can charge for estimates, before I ax our plant replacement guarantee.
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