All plant materials required by this ordinance must be living and meet the requirements contained in this ordinance. No artificial plant may be installed or counted as part of the plantings required by this ordinance.
For the purposes of this section, one (1) tree equals five (5) shrubs. A developer may substitute up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total trees required under this section with shrubs, at a ratio of five (5) shrubs for every one, (1) tree substituted. Conversely, a developer may substitute up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total shrubs required under this section with trees, at a ratio of one (1) tree for every five (5) shrubs substituted.
a. Planting Standards.
1. All plant materials required by this ordinance must be free of disease, insects, and damage and correctly labeled indicating genus, species and cultivar at the time of the final inspection by Town staff or designee.
2. All plants must be A-Grade or Number-One Grade and free of defects, of normal health, height, leaf density, and spread as defined by the American Standard for Nursery Stock, ANSI Z60.1, latest available edition, American Association of Nurserymen (AAN).
3. Plants must have full, even, well-developed branching and a dense, fibrous, and vigorous root system.
4. All plant materials must be capable to withstand the seasonal temperature variations of northwestern Indiana, as well as the individual site microclimate.
5. The use of species native or naturalized to northwestern Indiana is encouraged.
6. All areas not landscaped with hedges, walls or trees must have grass or another acceptable vegetative ground cover. No required landscaping area may be covered with rock, mulch or other non-living material This provision does not prohibit the placement of mulch around plantings.
b. Installation.
1. All landscaping must be installed according to sound horticultural practices in a manner designed to encourage quick establishment and healthy growth.
2. The planting patterns of plant material must be staggered and mixed in order to avoid long, monotonous and repetitive edges, especially along roadways.
c. Conflicts in Standards. In any case, except within a designated Special Use District (SUD), in which conflicts exist between the landscaping requirements of this ordinance and the landscaping requirements of any other applicable Town Code Sections, the stricter standard applies.
(Ord. No. 2007-33, 12-27-05; Am. Ord. No. 2021-30, § 1, 11-10-21)