This calculator will help you estimate how many annuals you will need to fill a flowerbed based on the bed’s square footage. Just enter the length and width of your flowerbed, and the preferred spacing of your flowers, and the calculator will do the rest. It will provide you with the number of plants you will need for planting in a grid-pattern as well as planting in a zig-zag pattern.
Read more or skip to the bottom of this page to use the calculator.
How To Use The Calculator
In order to use this plant spacing guide, you will need to know the length and width of the area you will be planting your flowers as well as how far apart your flowers should be planted (the spacing).
You can also select whether the calculator should adjust so that flowers aren’t planted directly at the edge of the planting bed. If so, a buffer area will be determined by subtracting a percentage of the plant’s spacing.
For an example regarding flower spacing, impatiens are typically planted 10 to 12 inches apart. But if you want really tall, tightly packed growth, impatiens are planted about 6 inches apart.
How Is Plant Spacing Calculated
Nurseries and landscapers determine how many plants are needed for an area by using a plant spacing multiplier. This multiplier is used when flowers will be planted uniformly in a neat rectangular grid pattern.
If the flowers are going to be planted in a staggered, triangular, or zip-zag pattern, the plants tend to be closer together. Because of this, the quantity of plants needed is increased by 15% and row spacing is reduced by a factor of 0.866
Plant Spacing Multiplier Chart
| Space Between Plants (Inches) | Plant Spacing Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 4 | 9.00 |
| 5 | 5.76 |
| 6 | 4.00 |
| 7 | 2.94 |
| 8 | 2.25 |
| 9 | 1.78 |
| 10 | 1.45 |
| 11 | 1.19 |
| 12 | 1.00 |
| 15 | 0.64 |
| 18 | 0.44 |
| 24 | 0.25 |
| 30 | 0.16 |
| 36 | 0.11 |
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