Planning a Planting

A plug or container planting starts long before the plants arrive. Matching species to the site, choosing the right planting window and spacing, and clearing competition first will do more for survival than anything you do on planting day.

Match species to the site

Start with the conditions you actually have: how many hours of direct sun the area gets, how wet or dry the soil stays through the season, and whether the soil is sandy, loamy or heavy clay. Coastal sites add salt spray and blowing sand to the list. Our catalog can be filtered by site condition, including wetland, dry, salt-tolerant and shade-tolerant plants, which is the quickest way to narrow a plant list to species that will thrive rather than merely survive.

Choose the planting window

Spring and fall are the best times to plant. Spring planting, from April through June, gives plants a full season to root in before winter, but it leans heavily on watering once summer heat arrives. Fall planting, from September into November, takes advantage of cooler air, warm soil and more reliable rain, so roots grow while tops slow down. Summer planting can work when irrigation is reliable, but expect more watering and some losses in a dry spell.

Prepare the site

Clear existing weeds and turf before planting, because young plants compete poorly with established vegetation. The same methods used for seeding work here: herbicide, smothering, solarization or sod cutting, covered in Preparing the Seedbed and Converting Turf to Meadow. Unlike a seeding, a plug planting doesn’t need a finely firmed seedbed; loosened, weed-free soil is enough. Where a full site prep isn’t possible, clearing a circle of at least a foot around each planting spot gives plugs a fighting start.

Plan spacing and quantities

Spacing is a trade-off between budget and how quickly the planting fills in. As a starting point:

• Herbaceous plugs are commonly planted 12 to 18 inches on center. Closer spacing gives faster cover and fewer weeds; wider spacing stretches the budget.
• Grasses and sedges usually go in at 12 to 24 inches, closer on erosion-prone ground.
• Shrubs are spaced by their mature width, often 3 to 6 feet apart.
• Trees for restoration plantings are commonly set 8 to 15 feet apart, depending on the species and how quickly a canopy is wanted.

Planting in offset (triangular) rows rather than a square grid fits about 15% more plants into the same area and gives more even coverage. Our Project Builder works out how many plants and full flats you need for any area and spacing.