9 Gardening Apps For The Amateur and Professional Alike
If your New Year’s resolution was to embrace nature more in 2017, have no fear: we’ve got a list of nine smartphone apps to help you get more in touch with greenery.
If you want your kids to drink more water…
Drinking water is one of those we all know we should be doing but typically don’t because it’s just not that fun. But if your 2017 resolution was to start staying hydrated (for real this time), Plant Nanny is ready to keep you on track. Customize your plants and their flower pots and then water them as you hydrate yourself throughout the day, to keep them happy and healthy (like yourself!).
If you need a seasonal bouquet in a hurry…
The so called “Uber of bouquets”, Bloom That is a flower delivery business that guarantees same or next day delivery of fresh, seasonal (and beautiful!) arrangements. Their app lets you pick a bespoke arrangement (you can add sweets if desired), a delivery date, and a delivery time; once your order is placed, texts and emails keep you updated about the status of your bouquet. All of Bloom That’s arrangements are seriously beautiful– if you don’t believe us, check out their highly aesthetic Instagram.
If you need nature to find your calm…
Many people don’t have the time to commit to a garden or hiking expedition or even the luxury of spending an afternoon to themselves in a park but do enjoy the restorative, focusing quality nature has. Enter Forest, an app designed to keep you on task and away from other distracting apps (we won’t name names). Forest works by having you set a designated interval of time, and growing a tree from a small seedling during that period. If you navigate out of the app, the tree dies. With time, you can build a full forest as a testament to your productivity.
If you’re planning an event with lots of flowers…
Figuring out what flowers go with what can be tough, especially if you’re not familiar with all the flowers out there. You might know you want a purple flower…but not know of any purple flowers except anemones. Thankfully, you don’t need to become a walking encyclopedia to be an expert amateur florist. Flowerwheel is straight forward to use and stocked with information on 500 different flowers. You can sort flowers by month or color, and save favorites, email them, or add notes for yourself. Not sure how to care for those flowers once you’ve got them? Be sure to check out our extensive list of tips.
If you’re new to gardening…
Gardening can often seem like a daunting undertaking: what do you plant? where do you plant it? how do you plant it? is it all going to die by the end of the month?! Here to alleviate your fears and answer your questions is Gardening Companion, a resource rich with all the basic gardening information you might need. You can even create your own “garden magazine” full of topics relevant to your season and plants.
If you’re curious about what’s grows around you…
For those often on the road or interested in all the greenery that surrounds them, Garden Answers is ready to inform. (As a GC stamp of approval, we often use Garden Answers when out and about to identify new and interesting plants we come across.) The app is incredibly straightforward to use: simply take a picture of the specimen in question and Garden Answers will browse through its 20,000 plants and try to match yours. A must have for anyone looking to get more in tune with the world outside. (And great for kids!)
If you want to help save the bees…
We’re all about doing whatever we can to keep bees happy and healthy, which is why we love BeeSmart— an easy guide from Pollinator Partners that helps you figure what bee-friendly plants are appropriate for your climate. Specify your geographic zone, soil type, and sunlight; you can also add in preference for color and annual versus perrenial. A great way to change up your garden if you’re looking for something new in 2017.
If you don’t have time for an actual garden…
Taking care of plants is tough, especially if your schedule is unpredictable, you live in a place with harsh weather, or you just don’t get enough sunlight to keep anything alive. Fortunately, Viridi (who we interviewed last year!) makes sure you’re not left out of the fun by tasking you with caring for potted plants. A perfect respite from cacophony and distraction, Viridi is a great app to momentarily escape from the world, and find a bit of quiet peace in your day.
If you already know everything about gardening…
For those veteran gardeners who have seen and done everything under the sun, the Armi App offers books, information on garden centers, and other veteran garden advice. Partners of the app include the American Horticultural Society and Herb Society of America, and the interface is straightforward and easy to use, for garden advice wherever and whenever you might need it.
