Tenant off hook for landscaping damage?

Q: I am a landlord and have a rental house where the tenant has destroyed my landscaping through their negligence and failure to properly water the yard. In a recent article you mentioned that if a landlord has proof of the condition of the property prior to move-in of the tenant that the tenant should be held responsible for any damage to the property. Does this apply to the grass, shrubs and trees in the yard?

I ask because my management company is refusing to charge the tenant for the damage, as some of the plants that died were in planter boxes and they claim that the shrubs need to be planted and rooted into the soil for it to be a valid security deposit deduction. The manager told me my claim would not hold up in court. Is that correct?

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