Finding the Area of an Odd Shaped Landscaping Bed

by Brendyn Ahlers

Submitted : Fall 2009

Landscaping planning usually requires calculating the area of oddly shaped landscaping beds. Most clients do not have simple rectangular landscaping beds, but have curved beds instead. Curved beds appear more artistic when contrasted by the rectangular lines of the surrounding buildings. The bed area is used to figure out how much top soil will be needed when planting new shrubs, or how much mulch will be needed to give the landscaping bed a more managed look. However, calculating the square footage of curved beds poses a problem because of their odd shape. One approach is to guesstimate an approximate length and width, creating a rectangular area, but this method can prove to be unreliable when working with large area beds. Instead, contour integrals may be used to figure out a more precise approximation of the area in question, saving the cost of extra materials. When landscaping large beds that have curved borders, using contour integrals leads to a more accurate calculation of the actual area.

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