Planning flower beds, vegetable plots, or groundcover plantings requires calculating plant quantities accurately to avoid buying too few plugs or overspending at the nursery. This calculator evaluates planting grids based on bed dimensions and recommended on-center plant spacing.

Square grid patterns place plants in aligned rows and columns where each plant occupies an area equal to spacing squared (spacing * spacing). Staggered triangular layouts offset alternate rows by half a spacing interval, forming equilateral triangles that increase plant density by approximately 15.5% (area / (spacing^2 * 0.866)). For example, a 20-foot by 5-foot garden bed has a total area of 100 square feet. Planting groundcover at 12-inch (1.0 ft) on-center spacing in a square grid requires 100 plants (100 / (1 * 1)). Using a staggered triangular pattern requires 115 plants (100 / (1^2 * 0.866) = 115.47), closing the plant canopy faster to shade out weeds. All calculations evaluate client-side in your browser with zero remote transmission.