Understanding how to space your annual and perennial flowers is important for plant health and growth. Use this flower spacing information to guide your planting in garden and flower beds.
Flower Spacing Guide for Perennials
Perennials should come with information on spacing, which accounts for keeping plants healthy. Correctly spacing flowering plants will help reduce the risk of disease from poor air flow. Although it will take more time to fill the space, sticking with proper spacing will mean you won’t have to divide your perennials so soon after planting.
Here are general guidelines for spacing perennials:
- Small perennials – 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm.)
- Medium perennials – 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm.)
- Large perennials – 18 to 36 inches (46 to 91 cm.)
Flower Spacing Guide for Annuals
The space between flowers is a little less important for annuals. These plants will only last one growing season, so you can cram them in a little tighter. However, if given the right conditions, your annuals planted with the appropriate spacing will fill out in plenty of time to enjoy big clusters of flowers all summer.
For planting annuals, follow the guidelines that come with the plants. Here is the spacing information for some of the more common annuals:
- Begonias – The tubers of begonias should be 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm.) apart.
- co*ckscomb (Celosia) – Plant co*ckscomb about 8 inches (20 cm.) apart.
- Cosmos – Give cosmos flowers at least 7 inches (18 cm.) between plants.
- Dahlia – Many types of dahlia grow quite large and tall and form almost a hedge of flowers. Give them two to three feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) of space to fill in.
- Geraniums – There are a few types of annual geraniums with different spacing needs. The most common, zonal, need about 12 inches (30 cm.), while ivy geraniums need up to 36 inches (91 cm.) of space.
- Impatiens – Space impatiens 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm.) apart, closer if you want them to grow taller.
- Lobelia – The petite lobelia flowers need just 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm.) of space.
- Marigolds – Plant smaller varieties of marigold 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm.) apart and larger types up to 12 inches (30 cm.) apart.
- Pansies – Give pansies 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 cm.) of space, a little less if planted later in the fall.
- Petunias – Different petunias have different spacing needs. Give grandiflora petunias 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm.) and multiflora petunias 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm.).
- Snapdragons – Space your snapdragons 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm.) apart.
- Zinnias – Spacing for zinnias varies a lot depending on the variety, so check your plant information. Spacing is anywhere between 4 and 24 inches (10-61 cm.). Rows should be 24 inches (61 cm.) apart
Any of your annuals can be planted closer together when placed in containers.
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FAQs
12×12-inch (30.5 cm) spacing = 4 rows per bed. This spacing is perfect for bulky varieties like bells of Ireland, celosia, amaranth, scented geranium, perilla, and lavatera. 18×18-inch (46 cm) spacing = 3 rows per bed. This spacing works for really large plants like branching sunflowers, eucalyptus, and dahlias.
What is the spacing for flowers? ›
12×12-inch (30.5 cm) spacing = 4 rows per bed. This spacing is perfect for bulky varieties like bells of Ireland, celosia, amaranth, scented geranium, perilla, and lavatera. 18×18-inch (46 cm) spacing = 3 rows per bed. This spacing works for really large plants like branching sunflowers, eucalyptus, and dahlias.
How to understand plant spacing? ›
The easy way to determine spacing between different plants is to use the average of their mature sizes. As an example, when planting a 5-foot-wide hydrangea planted next to a boxwood that grows up to 3 feet wide, space the plants 4 feet apart.
How to calculate plant spacing? ›
For a square bed, multiply the length of the bed by its width to determine how many plants per square foot. For a circular planting bed, you can calculate how many plants per square foot is ideal by multiplying 3.14 by the distance from the center to the edge of the bed.
Can you plant flowers right next to each other? ›
Putting plants too close together in a garden can stress them out, which limits their growth, beauty, and overall health. We've created this guide to help make sure they have the space they need to grow deep roots, and get adequate nutrients, water and sunlight.
What is the spacing for perennial flowers? ›
Plants whose mature height is 3' or above should be planted 2' to 3' feet apart, and plants 2' to 3' tall should be spaced 1.5' to 2' apart. Below 2' tall, spacing should be 1'. Most perennials benefit from lifting and dividing every three to four years.
What is the ideal distance between two plants? ›
In landscape plantings for hedges, shrubs are generally spaced 3-5 feet apart. To create a tree hedge (maybe to mark a property line), space trees 8-10 feet apart for deciduous trees and about 10 feet apart for evergreen trees.
How do you evenly space plants? ›
A square grid of plants is pretty simple to understand: you divide the area into squares of equal side length and put one plant in each corner. For a rectangular grid (i.e., row planting), you divide the area into rows and spread plants evenly along each row.
How many inches should be between plants when planting? ›
The 4-inch spacing is for bush beans and spinach. A 6-inch spacing is needed for Swiss chard, leaf lettuce and parsley. A whole 12-inch square is required for each broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, eggplant, muskmelon and pepper plant.
How to layout plants in a flower bed? ›
In general, plants in borders are arranged with tall plants (taller than 2 to 3 feet) placed in the back, mid-size plants (10 inches to 2 to 3 feet tall) in the middle, and short plants (less than 10 inches) in the front of the bed. It is best to use groupings or drifts of plants for a natural feel.
Spacing: Plant zinnia seeds a few inches apart in rows or clumps. Thin to 8 to 18 inches apart, depending upon the variety, once the plant has grown four leaves. Planting: Plant zinnias in spring after all danger of frost has passed, around the same time you'd plant tomatoes.
How to arrange garden flowers? ›
Place the shorter plants in the front, medium-sized plants in the middle, and the taller ones in the back. Layering plants this way means that every plant will be visible. Of course, these rules aren't set in stone; you can arrange your garden how you wish!
What is the row spacing of plants? ›
Row spacing (along with seeding rate) determines the crop arrangement in a field, altering how fast the crop canopy closes (leaves from adjoining rows begin overlapping) and the ways in which weeds grow between crop rows.
How far apart should I plant cut flowers? ›
Plant spacing within row
Most cut flowers do well 8–12” apart. Exceptions: sunflowers grown closer together result in smaller plants, which can be an advantage for bouquets.
What is the spacing for annuals? ›
Firm the soil around the roots, and water thoroughly to eliminate air pockets. Be sure to leave adequate space between each plant. Eight to 12 inches is typically recommended, although you can find specific information on each plant's tag.
