Spacing of Landscape Plants

Abstract

P a g e | 2 9/3/2015 HEDGE SPACING Spacing plants in hedges is another matter. Plants must be spaced closer together to form a full, dense screen. Low hedge plants (3 to 4 feet high) should be spaced about 18 inches apart. Tall hedge plants will need to be spaced 3 to 4 feet apart. GROUNDCOVER SPACING Low ground cover plants may be spaced in regard to how fast a complete cover is wanted. Cost may also be a determining factor. Remember that 100 plants at 6-inch spacing will cover about 25 square feet of bed area. At 12-inch spacing, they will cover 100 square feet, and at 25 inch spacing they will cover about 400 square feet. TREE SPACING Trees, especially large shade trees, should be placed well away from the home to avoid later maintenance problems. Strong-wooded shade trees, such as oaks, should be planted no closer than 20 feet from the house, but soft-wooded trees, such as soft maple, should be planted at an even greater distance. Large shade trees should be planted about 50 feet from each other. Trees of medium size, such as red maple or river birch, should be spaced about 35 feet apart. Small trees, such as dogwood, redbud, hawthorn, or drab, may be planted 15 to 20 feet apart and no closer than 8 feet from the house when used as an accent or corner planting.