HomeMy Public PortalAboutPlanting Strip GuideRequirements for plants:
Watertown’s guide toThe Planting Strip
Like any garden, your planting strip will need
tending. As the adjacent property owner it is your
responsibility to maintain this area.
•Plants will need regular watering for two to three
gardening seasons (spring-fall) until their root
systems are established as well as during periods
of drought.
•Weed, mow, mulch and replace dead plants as
needed to help your planting strip look even
better!
•Don’t prune the trees - we are here to help with
that! Contact the Tree Warden if you feel your tree
needs to be pruned.
•Protect: ask the Tree Warden about using
appropriate fencing to protect your plants.
•Fertilize only as needed with an organic, slow
release fertilizer and use compost where possible.
Do not let fertilizer run off the planting strip into
the street. Excess fertilizer can go in the storm
drain and become a pollutant.
Green Streets Create Great
Communities!
The planting strip provides opportunity to create
a green, vibrant community while helping out the
surrounding environment! Not only will a green
planting strip improve the visual appearance of the
streetscape but it can help soak up and filter water and
provide food for local pollinators!
•Plants should have a maximum mature height of
2.5 feet.
•Give trees and plants breathing room - don’t place
plants up against the trunks of street trees!
•The maximum continuous length of a planted
area is 20 feet with at least 4 foot wide breaks, to
maintain access between the sidewalk and the
road.
•No invasive plants. Refer to Massachusetts
Prohibited Plant List for details:
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/
massachusetts-prohibited-plant-list
If you want to plant or prune a Town tree, see the Tree
Planting brochure and/or email the Tree Warden.
City of Watertown
Department of Public Works 124
Orchard Street
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 972-6420
Tree Warden:
Michael Micieli
mmicieli@watertown-ma.gov
DPW Highway Supervisor:
Ed Baptista
Ebaptista@watertown-ma.gov
Planting Information:
Maintaining Your Planting Strip:
So you want to plant your planting strip?
Great!.. Things to know:
•No Permit is required
•Resident pays for and maintains plants
•Ask the City to check for utilities
Larger/Structural plants: These plants would
typically be taller than the rest, though no more than
2.5’ tall. Their structural qualities would be more likely
to have winter interest.
Medium-sized plants:
Filler plants with
variation of seasonal
interest would make up
the bulk of the planting
area.
Groundcovers: Low
growing plants are
meant to cover the area
and grow under other
plants. They cover
bare soil and provide
weed control and help
with moisture and
soil retention. These
can be used for easy
maintenance.
1 1
F
F
F
1 2
2 2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
6’
2’
4’
2 22
2
3
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Suggested Plants for Your Planting Strip
• Woody plant (deciduous or evergreen shrubs)
• Perennial* flower
• Perennial* grass
• Native to the Eastern U.S.
Plant Types and Layout:What Homeowners Cannot Do:
Remember:
•It is TCity property, but the homeowner plays an
important role in the up keep. The Town cannot
replace damaged plants due to snow removal or
people parking on the planting strip so please take
the necessary precautions when choosing what to
do with your planting strip.
•Communicate with DPW to report damage or
concerns you have. Contact information is on the
back of this brochure.
Simple Sun
Watertown’s
Shade Tolerant
Pollinator
Each of the above types of plants can be any of the
following:
* The term perennial means the plant will die back in the
fall and start growing again in the spring.
W
F
G
Pycanthemum muticum (Short-toothed
Mountain Mint)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats)
F
G
Deschampsia cespitosa (Tufted Hairgrass)
Calamintha nepeta (Lesser Calamint)
G
F
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry)
Carex appalachia (Appalachian Sedge)
Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)
Geum fragarioides (Barren Strawberry)
W
G
F
F
Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac)
Panicum virgatum ‘Cape Breeze’ (Switchgrass)
W
Iris versicolor (Blue Flag Iris)
Monarda didyma (Bee Balm)
Amsonia species (Blue Star)
Juncus tenuis (Poverty Rush)
Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Coral Beauty’
(Bearberry Cotoneaster)
Oenothera fruticosa (Sundrops)
Hypericum calycinum (St. John’s Wort)
Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ (Autumn
Goldenrod)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
Liatris spicata (Blazing Star)
Penstemon digitalis (Beardtongue)
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan)
G
F
G
W
F
F
F
F
F
F
W
•Install irrigation in the planting strip.
•Plant or prune a Citytree on their own. (Email the
Tree Warden - we are here to help!)
•Install curbing, hardscaping, or objects in the Right-
of-Way without getting a permit from the Town.
N
F Baptisia australis Decadence® hybrids
(Blue False Indigo)
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
Help Watertown Grow!