(a) Minimum Requirements.
(1) All landscape plans must include a minimum of fifty percent native plants.
(2) All plant material must conform to the description consistent with generally accepted and published nursery and landscape standards. Plant materials must be typical of their species or variety, have normal habitat of growth, well-branched and densely foliated when in leaf.
(3) Artificial plants and invasive species are prohibited from satisfying landscape requirements.
(b) Mulch. Planting beds must present a finished appearance, with shredded hardwood bark mulch or a similar natural material at a minimum depth of three-inches. All mulched areas must be refreshed seasonally.
(c) Lawn Areas. Lawns must be planted with species of grass normally grown as permanent lawns in southeast Michigan. Grass may be sodded or seeded and mulched. Sod or seed must be clean, free of weeds and noxious pests or disease. Where possible, Xeriscape design is highly encouraged.
(d) Minimum Planting Size. All plantings must meet the following minimum size at the time of planting:
(1) Deciduous trees. Two and one-half-inches in caliper, measured at eighteen-inches above grade.
(2) Ornamental trees. Two-inches in caliper, measured at eighteen-inches above grade.
(3) Evergreen trees. Eight-feet in height, measured from grade.
(4) Shrubs. Thirty-inches in height, measured from grade.
(e) Prohibited Species. Based on their undesirability, the following species are prohibited; the City may prohibit other species not listed in the table below.
Prohibited Tree Species
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Prohibited Tree Species
| |
Ash | Horse Chestnut (Nut Bearing) |
Black Locust | Mulberry |
Box Elder | Norway Maple |
Buckthorn | Olive |
Catalpa | Poplar |
Cottonwood | Silver Maple |
Elm | Tree of Heaven |
Ginkgo (Female) | Willow |
Honey Locust (With Thorns) | |
(f) Installation. All landscaping must be installed in a manner consistent with generally accepted and published nursery and landscape standards, the approved landscape plan, and the following:
(1) All trees must be balled and burlapped at the time of planting.
(2) Plant material must be freshly dug, and nursery grown. Plant material must be of sound health, vigorous and uniform in appearance with a well-developed root system and free from disease, insects, pests, eggs, or larvae. Trees must have straight trunks with leaders intact, undamaged, and uncut.
(3) A minimum of four-inches of topsoil must be provided for all lawn areas, groundcovers, berms, and planting beds.
(Ord. 2023-01. Passed 2-7-23.)