Landscaping in Stow, Massachusetts

Landscaping isn't a Mass Save program, and there's a separate point worth knowing in Stow: the town is served by the Hudson Light & Power Department, a Municipal Light Plant, so Stow homes are not eligible for Mass Save rebates on the energy side. For landscaping specifically, the local rules come from geography. The Assabet River, Elizabeth Brook, and Lake Boon, plus surrounding wetlands, fall under the Conservation Commission's enforcement of the Wetlands Protection Act across the 100-foot wetland buffer and the 200-foot Riverfront Area.

Stow's orchard-and-field soils are generally good loams on the uplands with wet pockets near the brooks. Deer pressure is heavy on lots bordering orchards and conservation land.

Stow's Conservation Commission reviews grading, retaining walls, drainage, and plantings within the 100-foot wetland buffer or the 200-foot Assabet River and Elizabeth Brook Riverfront Areas, issuing an Order of Conditions under the Wetlands Protection Act. Lake Boon shoreline work also draws close scrutiny. The Building Department typically requires a permit for retaining walls over four feet of exposed height. Pools need building and electrical permits with fencing, and stormwater controls are commonly conditioned on grading near the river, brooks, or the lake.

Stow pricing tracks the western MetroWest market — below inner-suburb rates but solidly above central MA. Weekly mowing runs $45-65, spring cleanup $275-600, fall cleanup $350-800, and bark mulch $80-115 per yard installed. A six-to-eight-zone irrigation system runs $5,000-8,000. Paver patios start around $8K; bluestone runs $10-15K. Full design-build grounds with patio, plantings, lighting, and drainage commonly run $25-70K, and rural lots adding pool surrounds and extensive masonry can reach $100K+.

Stow sits in western Middlesex County with about 7,111 residents and 2,613 housing units. The median home is roughly 51 years old — younger than most MA towns — reflecting steady suburban building from the 1970s onward alongside the older farmhouses tied to Stow's long orchard history.

This is apple country: working orchards, open fields, and golf courses still define large parts of town. Landscaping here serves a mix of established suburban subdivisions and rural lots, with the Assabet River and Lake Boon shaping the western edge.