How To Determine The Number Of Plants Needed To Fill A Planting Area Or Space

Plant calculation charts come in particularly handy when planting groundcover plants, annual bedding plants and other plants that you intend on mass planting over a large area.

You can use either of the calculation charts below to determine how many plants it will take to fill a given area, based on how far the plants will be spaced apart. 

Tip: Under the Description tab on every plant page in Wilson Bros Gardens you'll find a recommended spacing distance. This spacing distance is based on "on-center" spacing, which simply means from the center of one plant to the center of the next plant. 

Note:  Before you can calculate how many plants will be required to fill a given area you'll need to first determine the total square feet of the planting bed.




Pre-Calculated Plants Per Square Feet Chart

The chart below has fixed square footage in the left column (highlighted in beige) and spacing distances across the top (highlighted in yellow). 

Or you can use this convenient Plant Calculator

Note: If you'll be spacing your plants more than 24 inches apart or if you do not find the exact size of your planting area, either estimate by selecting the closest area listed or use Chart 2 below to more precisely calculate how many plants will be required, or use this convenient Plant Calculator.


Example for using chart below: 

If you intend on spacing your plants 18-inches apart, and your planting area is 300 square feet, the box where that column and row intersect indicates you will need 133 plants to cover the planting area.






Plant Spacing Multiplier Chart

In the chart below, the column on the left indicates how far apart you intend to space your plants (groundcovers, annual bedding plants, etc.)

The column on the right is the number you need to multiply by the total square feet of your planting area.


Example using the chart below: 

If you want to cover an area of 120 square feet with plants that you intend on spacing 10-inches apart the equation would look like this: 120 (Sq Ft) x 1.45 = 174 (Plants)




Note: If you have trouble using the plant calculation charts above you can find a simple plant calculator here





The Plants you want...

Wilson Bros Gardens brings you awesome every day! It is our goal to blow you away with a great selection of the most exciting new and old-favorite plants and trees that have demonstrated outstanding qualities and exceptional performance in landscapes and gardens.

Since 1989, we have offered and shipped only the highest quality, retail nursery-grade plants on the market to hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers. We ship the same plants and products nationwide that we offer to the customers who shop at our land-based location in McDonough, Georgia (just south of Atlanta).


Knowledge you can trust...

We at Wilson Bros Gardens pride ourselves on our knowledge of plants and everything landscaping and gardening. On every plant page in the store you'll find detailed planting and care instructions and other plant details and attributes provided by our staff of horticultural experts.

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