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Planting Large Spaces

Example:

You have an area 15′ x 24′ that you want to fill with Pachysandra Green Carpet getting coverage within 1 year. The spacing is listed at 10″.

  1. Multiply the spacing in inches by itself: (10 x 10) = 100
  2. Divide 144 by the result: 144 / 100 = 1.44 (plants per square foot)
  3. Multiply the length and width of the area: 15 x 24 = 360 (square footage)
  4. Multiply this result and the result from the division: 360 x 1.44 = 518.4
  5. Round up to the nearest whole number = 519 or better yet a full carrier = 522.

This is about how many plants you will need. If you are using staggered spacing, you may want to increase the amount by 15%.

I’ve got a large space to fill in my landscape design. How many plants do I need?

While the average spacing for perennials is 12″ on center, closer spacing will allow the plants to fill in more quickly. Use the spacing listed with the plants as a general guide to the final size of the plant. Groundcovers should be spaced from 6″-12″ apart depending on the variety and how quickly you want to fill the area. The formula for determining the number of plants you need is as follows:

144″ (which is a square foot in inches) divided by (spacing in inches times spacing in inches) times (length of area in feet times width of area in feet)

You can use the calculator below to do the math for you – simply input your area and your plant spacing, and let the computers do the rest of the math!

Plant Spacing Calculator

Total Plants Needed:

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