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How many plants fit a bed at your spacing — square or staggered (triangular) grid — or a hedge row, with plants per square foot.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Plants for 100 sq ft | 116 plants |
| Plants per sq ft | 1.15 |
| Square grid would take | 100 plants |
| Row spacing | 10.4 in between rows |
| Area per plant | 0.866 sq ft |
| Formula | 100 sq ft ÷ (1² × 0.866) |
Rounded up to whole plants. University of Illinois Extension recommends planting ground covers in a staggered pattern; in a staggered grid each row is shifted half a space and rows sit spacing × 0.866 apart.
Spacing decides how many plants you buy and how fast a bed fills in. In a square grid each plant takes spacing × spacing; stagger the rows in a triangular pattern and each takes spacing² × 0.866, so the same bed holds about 15% more plants and closes over sooner. Enter the bed or the row, the spacing on the plant tag and the pattern, and the calculator returns the plant count, plants per square foot and the gap between rows.
One per square foot in a square grid — 100 plants for 100 sq ft, matching the University of Illinois Extension chart. Staggered (triangular) at 12 in it is 100 ÷ 0.866 = 116 plants.
Square grid: plants = area ÷ (spacing in feet)². Triangular grid: plants = area ÷ (spacing² × 0.866). An 18 in spacing is 1.5 ft, so 100 sq ft takes 100 ÷ 2.25 = 45 plants square, or 52 staggered.
For ground covers and mass plantings, usually. Every plant is the same distance from its six neighbours, so the bed fills evenly with fewer bare gaps; it takes about 15% more plants. Illinois Extension recommends a staggered pattern for ground covers.
Closer than the shrubs' mature width. WSU Extension (C132) suggests about 18 in for low hedges 3–4 ft high and 3–4 ft for tall hedges. A 20 ft row at 18 in takes 14 plants (240 ÷ 18 = 13.3, so 13 spaces plus the end plant).
1.78 per square foot in a square grid — 178 plants per 100 sq ft (Illinois Extension's chart), or about 206 staggered.
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