How Far Apart Do You Plant Shrubs? The spacing of shrubs, plants, makes the difference between a garden that looks like a jungle.
How far apart do you plant shrubs, trees, and other garden plants?
If you space the plants too far apart, the entire landscape may appear empty and have nothing much to offer.
You need to aim for something that offers visual interest and dimension.
Proper spacing of the shrubs and other garden plants.
Can help ensure that the roots of your plants don’t need to compete for water and nutrients.
Against the other plants in your garden.
Your garden should remain healthy and well-organized.
You can achieve that when you follow proper spacing.
When planting your shrubs and other garden plants.
Some plants have labels that state the recommended spacing.
However, the recommendation is usually based on a simple landscaping project.
Which may not be suitable for the landscape plan or design that you intend to use to arrange your garden.
Also, the information regarding the new varieties of shrubs may not be available in books or the internet.
If you want to plant a new variety of shrubs.
You need to get the information about the plant directly from the seller.
The information that you will gather can give you everything you need to know.
About the plant and decide how you want to use it.
This article aims to provide you with useful information about planting shrubs.
Also, helps you gain a well-organized, healthy garden.
Proper Spacing When Planting Shrubs.
When determining the distance between the shrubs that you are going to plant.
You need to also consider the nature of your landscape plan.
The following are the things that you need to take note of.
When determining how far apart do you plant shrubs.
1. When you are planting shrubs side by side.
Take the combined ultimate spread of the shrubs when they mature and divide it by two.
You can plant different types and species of shrubs in your garden.
And still create a well-groomed yard before planting a particular shrub.
You need to determine the area that your shrubs will occupy when they mature.
For example, one shrub is expected to grow 2 feet wide and the other one should reach 4 feet wide.
The total spread of the two shrubs is 6 feet.
Divide it by 2 and you will get 3 feet.
Which is the distance that you need to follow when planting the two shrubs side by side.
You need to follow the same calculations when you want to have more shrubs in your garden.
If you want to plant another shrub alongside the shrub with the 4 feet spread at maturity.
You also need to get the expected spread of the next shrub to determine the right spacing.
If the next shrub will have 6 feet spread when it matures.
You need to plan that shrub at least 5 feet away from the one ahead of it.
As you can see, the spacing of the shrubs depends.
On their combined ultimate spread to create a nice-looking garden.
Don’t forget to put a marker, which can be a stake or anything.
To help you remember the spot where you will plant the shrub.
2. When you are planting shrubs as a hedgerow, plant them a bit closer to each other.
Many people use shrubs in hedges, which are often used to create a full, dense screen.
If you want to use the shrubs as a hedgerow.
You don’t need to worry about growing them too close to each other.
The hedge should appear as a single continual mass of plants.
And not as an individual set of plants.
Your goal should be to grow the shrubs close enough to fill the gaps and create a full screen.
If you can’t decide on the proper spacing to follow when using the shrubs as a hedgerow.
You can space the shrubs at half the width of their mature age.
If a certain shrub has a spread width of 4 feet upon maturity.
You may follow the 2 feet spacing between the shrubs when you plant them.
Low hedge plants, which usually measure 3 to 4 feet tall.
It should be planted at least 18 inches from each other.
Tall hedge plants are usually planted with 3 to 4 feet of space between them.
3. Keep a proper distance between the shrubs and the foundation of your house or building.
If you are going to plant small shrubs, you need to place them at least 2 feet away from your house or building.
You must plant medium shrubs at least 3 feet away from the building.
Tall shrubs must be planted 4 to5 feet away from your house.
You need to keep these distances in mind when drafting your landscape plan or design.
When planting more than one shrub.
Remember to put the markers for the spacing of your shrubs before you do the actual planting.
You can adjust the markers if you notice that something is amiss.
It is important to follow the suggested distance of a shrub to your house to avoid possible problems.
It is likewise important to learn more about the shrub that you intend to plant.
You will be able to give the shrubs the right care
And help them grow without trouble when you take the time to get to know them.
Take a look at the different types of shrubs and how to plant them properly.
Different Categories of Shrubs.
You can only remove the markers when you are ready to plant your shrubs.
When planting the shrubs.
You need to prepare a hole that is slightly bigger than the shrub’s root ball or container.
The hole should be deep enough to accommodate the container or roots of the shrub that you are going to plant.
The next thing you need to do is mix the soil from the dug up hole with peat moss, manure, or compost.
You need to mix 1 part of the organic material with 2 parts of soil.
Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole before putting it in your plant.
Trim the top of the shrub that you are going to plant.
Put the shrub in the hole and covered the hole with the prepared soil mixture.
There are different categories of shrubs for planting, and they are as follows.
1. Container Shrubs.
These are shrubs that are already established and growing in pots or containers of soil or soil substitute.
You can plant the container shrubs any time of the year, except wintertime.
If you have decided to plant some shrubs during summer.
Make sure that the soil is well-watered until the changing of the season.
The freshly planted shrubs may die if they don’t get enough moisture from the soil.
Summer dries out the soil easily. You need to be careful not to let the soil of the shrubs to dry out.
When working with a shrub that has grown in a container.
See to it that the surface of the soil in the container is on par with the surrounding soil.
You also need to water the container-grown shrub well before taking it out of the pot or container.
It is important to check whether the plant has an established root system.
If it does not have an extensive root system yet, it is best to return it to the nursery.
When planting the pot-grown shrub, fill the hole only halfway first.
Water it thoroughly and allow the water to drain before you add in more soil.
Stomp on the soil gently and top it with more soil.
Water it again and make sure that the base of the plant is getting the needed water.
2. Balled-Root Shrubs.
These shrubs have soil surrounding their roots, and they are usually kept in place using burlap.
Shrubs and other plants that have difficulty in establishing themselves are presented like this in the market. The method of Using burlap can help a lot in keeping the root system intact.
Shrubs that develop with ease after transplanting are usually bought as balled-root shrubs.
Do not take away the burlap right away when planting the shrub in your garden or yard.
You can use the mark on the stem that shows the previous soil level.
When placing the balled-root shrub into the hole, untie the burlap and lay back across the hole.
Water it thoroughly and have the water drained first.
Add in more soil after that. Stomp on the soil firmly and add in more soil. Water it again.
You need to be certain that the base of the plant is soaked with water.
You need to build a small wall made of soil around the hole to hold the water.
3. Bare-Root Shrubs.
If you want to plant a bare-root shrub. Inspect the plant for any diseased or damaged roots.
You need to cut the roots back to healthy growth.
Before placing the bare-root shrub in the hole.
You need to create a small mound at the bottom of the hole.
A mound is a place where you can spread the roots of the shrub.
When planting the bare-root shrub, you must lift the plant and give it a gentle shake.
To settle the soil around it as you fill the hole.
Stomp on the soil gently several times using your feet.
Doing so can help eliminate the air pockets.
When planting any shrub, make sure to hold it at the base of the stem firmly to keep it straight.
As you fill the hole with soil.
You may need to build a small soil-wall to surround the hole.
Hold the water at the base of the bare-root shrub.
Autumn or early winter is the best time to transplant the balled-root and bare-root shrubs.
Plan it after dormancy has set in and make sure that the ground has not frozen yet.
You can also do your planting in the early spring.
Set out the evergreens later in spring or early fall.
You also need to bear in mind that the mature size of the shrubs is not fixed.
Always prune them to maintain the exquisite appearance of your garden.
What Happens When the Shrubs Don’t Follow Proper Spacing?
Does knowing how far apart do you plant shrubs really important?
Can’t you just plant anywhere you want without minding the proper spacing?
Don’t just copy other home gardeners that don’t take spacing seriously.
You may face some serious consequences of disregarding proper spacing.
Here are some of the things that can happen when you don’t follow proper spacing when planting your shrubs.
1. Your plants’ nutrient intake will suffer if you don’t follow proper spacing when planting your shrubs.
The shrubs and other plants in your garden need nutrients.
From the soil, sun, water, and fertilizers throughout the season.
If the plants don’t have proper spacing between them.
They have to compete with the nearby plants and shrubs for nutrients.
This also includes competing for the sunlight.
Those who cannot get sufficient amounts of nutrients will surely suffer.
Their roots will also compete for space as they grow bigger.
To avoid making the other plants suffer from insufficient nutrient intake.
Practice the right spacing of planting your plants from the start.
You will also notice that it is easy to maintain and manage well-spaced shrubs and other plants.
2. It would be impossible to contain a certain plant disease.
Just imagine putting some kids in a classroom and one of them got sick.
What do you think will happen? A few of them could end up contracting the same disease as that of the sick kid.
Take another scenario that you may already be familiar with the case of rotten tomatoes.
When you have a rotten tomato in a basket.
The other tomatoes may get affected because they are too close to each other.
If you space the tomatoes properly, you will immediately see the tomato that’s already rotting.
Remove it before it infects the other tomatoes.
Spacing your plants can reduce the risk of spreading the disease.
You will be able to easily point out the plant that has a problem.
Don’t remove the problematic plant right away.
When every plant or shrub in your garden is spaced properly.
You only need to treat the sick plant and nourish it back to health.
However, you may need to eliminate the sick plant.
The spot when the garden plants too close to each other.
Eliminating the sick plant right away can avoid contamination.
You can also uproot the plant and transfer it to a separate location as you nourish it back to health.
However, you need to be prepared in case your other plants have already contracted the disease.
Due to their close proximity to the sick plant.
3. Not following the right spacing. Between the shrub and the foundation of your house may lead to disaster.
It would be troublesome when you plant your shrubs too close to the foundation of your house.
Because they may damage the siding of your house when they mature.
Aside from that, shrubs also retain moisture that can cause huge damage to your house.
Moisture can cause rapid deterioration of exterior cladding.
The worst part is that you may never notice it right away because your matured shrubs are blocking your view.
Termites love moisture, which the shrubs can easily provide.
Aside from that, termites consume cellulose-based organisms.
Plants are among those organisms that termites love to eat.
Termites highly prefer dead wood.
Which is one of the building materials of your house.
They can also attack the roots of live trees and shrubs.
Each time you plant anything close to the foundation of your house.
Ask yourself whether you are planting possible termite food.
Termites don’t stay in one spot.
If they can attack the shrubs or trees near your house.
They can surely target your house next.
Once they start munching, it is almost impossible to stop them from doing so.
You may need to hire an exterminator to get rid of termites.
It is also possible that some of them may survive after the exterminator does his job.
When that happens, another round of termite infestation might occur.
To prevent this from happening, set a proper spacing when planting your shrubs, trees, and other plants.
Don’t give the termites the reason to begin attacking your shrubs, and then your home.
4. Proper weed management is difficult to impose. When your plants or shrubs don’t follow the right spacing.
Weed management is crucial in ensuring the health of your plants.
Weeds steal the nutrients and water that your plants need to grow healthy and strong.
They may form a sort of shade. Which prevents the seeds to germinate and form a new generation of your favorite plants. Sometimes the seedlings face sudden deaths due to insufficient sunlight. Which the weeds block.
Some highly competitive weeds are capable of killing the neighboring plants by releasing toxic chemicals.
The plant experts named the chemical warfare allelopathy.
These are just some of the reasons why you need to get rid of weeds in your garden.
Unfortunately, planting the shrubs and other plants without proper spacing.
Can make it difficult to remove the weeds.
They will keep proliferating when you fail to remove them completely.
You may not be able to eliminate the weeds completely when your plants are too close to each other.
These are just some of the most dreadful things that may happen to you.
When you don’t follow the proper spacing when planting your shrubs.
Spacing does wonders, and it makes your garden nice-looking and organized.
Important Reminders You Need to Keep in Mind.
Always remember to follow the proper spacing when planting shrubs and other plants.
The right spacing can bring a lot of benefits to you, your garden, and your home.
Also, take note of the spacing for the intended use of the shrubs.
A hedgerow requires tighter spacing to produce the screen that you want.
Make it a habit to always draw a plan first before proceeding to your planting project.
Visualize the plants that should go together and will not cause any trouble later.
Understand the needs and requirements of each shrub that you want to place in your garden or yard.
You also need to consider the terrain of your property.
You must make sure that your plants are getting enough water.
You need to check your slope.
The slope or grading of your property is the surface elevation changes.
Against the other areas near or around your home.
You have proper grading when the slope of elevation inclines downward and away from your house.
Shrubs, trees, and other plants must have proper drainage.
Keeping the dwelling dry is one of the most effective ways of preventing structural deterioration.
Planting the right species and types of plants, which can soak up the excess water.
Can help preserve the beauty and structure of your landscape and house.
Properties that have poorly maintained garden or landscaping.
Are more likely to deal with water saturation issues every now and then.
Putting up barriers, such as stones, vertical plastic edging.
Landscaping timbers, or retaining walls, can only make things worse.
A barrier doesn’t have the capability to hold mulch and flowers.
In fact, the barrier may block the drainage. As much as possible, avoid using anything as a barrier.
If you insist on installing a barrier, make sure to install downspouts that go beyond it.
Make sure that the position and location of your downspouts will not create problems at whatever season.
Now that you know how far apart you should plant shrubs.
Make it a habit to take spacing into consideration whenever you plant.
Gather the right information regarding the proper care and maintenance.
which you need to give the particular species of plants.
