Landscaping contractors in Massachusetts

Landscaping in Massachusetts operates under more state and town rules than almost anywhere else in the country. The Wetlands Protection Act regulates work within 100 feet of a wetland and 200 feet of a perennial stream; the state fertilizer law restricts phosphorus and application timing; a growing list of towns, led by Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge and Brookline, ban or restrict gas leaf blowers; most summers bring outdoor watering restrictions; and any retaining wall over 4 feet needs an engineer's design and a building permit. Pricing reflects a high-labor market. Weekly mowing runs $40 to $75, spring cleanups $250 to $700, fall cleanups $300 to $900 depending on tree cover, and bark mulch $80 to $130 per yard installed. A bluestone patio of about 300 square feet lands $9,000 to $16,000, paver patios somewhat less, and irrigation $4,500 to $8,500 for a six-to-eight-zone system. Full design-build projects with patio, plantings, lighting and drainage commonly run $20,000 to $80,000, and larger estate work well beyond.

Drainage is the most valuable landscaping work in the state. Clay soils, downspouts that dump against foundations and lots graded toward the house are behind most wet basements, and regrading, French drains and dry wells are cheaper than interior waterproofing when done first. Retaining walls are a related hazard: the state's hilly towns have thousands of failing dry-stacked walls, and anything over 4 feet is a structure that needs engineering.

Planting has shifted toward native and pollinator-friendly design, partly by preference and partly because Conservation Commissions and some town bylaws now require native plantings in buffer zones. Invasive species removal, particularly Japanese knotweed and bittersweet, is a specialty that many general landscapers do not do well.

Tree work sits at the edge of the trade. Removal near utility lines is the utility's job or requires a licensed arborist working with them, and Massachusetts has a Certified Arborist program and strict rules about shade trees in the public way. A landscaper who offers to drop a 70-foot oak next to the house should be asked about insurance first.