How many ground cover plants do I need per square metre in the UAE?
Measure the bed first, then work backwards. A 3m × 1m border is 3 square metres, which is 18–27 plants for one-season coverage — three to five of our 6-plant trays, not the single liner people usually walk out of a garden centre with.
Spacing varies a little by plant. Wedelia and sesuvium run fast and can go at the wider 4-per-square-metre spacing without looking patchy for long. Ruellia clumps rather than runs, so it wants the denser spacing to read as a mass. Alternanthera used as clipped edging goes tighter still — roughly 10 plants per running metre of edge.
Plant in October to March if you can. A ground cover planted in the cool season roots properly and closes over before its first Gulf summer; one planted in June spends three months surviving and needs daily water to do it.
| Bed size | Plants needed | 6-plant trays |
|---|---|---|
| 1 m² | 6–9 | 1–2 |
| 3 m² (3m × 1m border) | 18–27 | 3–5 |
| 5 m² | 30–45 | 5–8 |
| 10 m² | 60–90 | 10–15 |