Tree & Shrub Planting in Central Massachusetts

Most plants that die in the first two years were not killed by the winter. They were planted too deep, in a hole that held water like a bucket, in a spot that gets six hours of afternoon sun when the tag said part shade — or they were never watered through the August after they went in. Planting is the least glamorous part of a landscape and the part that decides whether the rest of it was worth doing.

Greener Grass Landscaping plants trees, shrubs, hedges and perennial beds across Central Massachusetts, MetroWest and Greater Boston: privacy screens along a property line, foundation beds that replace overgrown 1970s evergreens, a shade tree set far enough from the house to be a shade tree in twenty years, or a full bed of perennials and ornamental grasses. Species get picked for the hardiness zone, the light, the soil and the salt exposure near a drive — then planted at the right depth, in soil that has been opened up wide enough for the roots to leave the hole.

How we plant

1. 1

   Match the plant to the spot

   Sun, soil, drainage, mature size, deer pressure and road salt all narrow the list before anything is ordered.

2. 2

   Prepare the ground properly

   A hole two to three times the width of the root ball and no deeper than it, with the sides broken up so roots can move out into native soil rather than circling.

3. 3

   Set it at the right height

   Root flare visible at grade, burlap and wire basket cut back, backfilled and settled with water rather than tamped into concrete.

4. 4

   Mulch and hand it over

   A mulch ring — pulled back off the trunk, never piled against it — and a straight answer about how much water it needs through its first two summers.