The Garden Compass Mobile App connects you to some of the most highly-regarded plant experts from around the world.
Use the app to take a photo of a plant and let our garden advisors not only identify what the plant is, they can also tell you how to grow and care for it*. Take a photo of a bug you find eating your plants, or that large brown spot on your lawn, and our advisors will tell you what type of pest or disease is affecting the health of your plants. They will also give you great information on how to eliminate the problem and prevent it from recurring.
Click here for the app user’s guide
Here’s a few tips about taking and posting plant photos:
Start with a good quality photo. Plants can be hard to capture and you can easily end up with a blurry image. When taking photos of plants look for a “macro” setting on your camera, or hold your smartphone as steady as possible. Many point and shoot cameras have this feature and this can be a big help in focusing on images up close. Please post photos that are in focus. It’s very difficult to ID a blurry photo.
Plants are most easily identified when they are in flower. It’s VERY difficult to ID a plant based on its leaf. Prioritize getting a good flower shot and know that it’s unlikely to get a positive ID from a leaf. The more plant parts we can see the better, so posting a photo of the flower, the leaves and the growth structure is a great idea. If it has a fruit or seed pod, be sure to include that also. You can remove a plant part and place it on a good background. You can even turn one leaf over to give more photo information. You can submit a follow-up photo on a response. If you have questions about multiple plants, make separate posts or avoid putting more than three plants in one post. That way it’s easier for us to refer to the plants.
Describe the habitat. Let us know where you found the plant. The big picture (state/country) as well as the exact habitat is helpful. For example, if I posted a photo I might say, “I found this growing near a stream bed in Eastern WA state.” If you purchased the plant, the nursery or store might have labeled the pot, or included a label tab in the soil.
Our goal is to give you the best possible answer!
Coming soon to Google Play!