The virtual world meets your garden!
Posted:4 November 2011
As keen iPhone users we’ve been doing some research into just a few of the garden-related apps out there. There are literally thousands, most not that good, many US-centric, some are free though undoubtedly the better apps do cost. Below are just a few recommendations if you have any other apps that you find useful, do let us know!
Top of our list is the RHS Grow Your Own iPhone app designed to help you choose and grow fruit and vegetables however much space or time you have. The base application is free and covers the 20 most popular varieties of fruit and veg. You can buy additional content bundles to extend the content of the app (£1.79 each). We think this is a superb and very useful resource when you’re perhaps visiting a garden or don’t have your veg books to hand.
Also useful for the vegetable garden is Garden Planner v1.8 (£2.49) this gives you the ability to add your own produce to the app and also add this produce to the plot planner, my garden and favourites functions.
Landscaper’s Companion (£2.99) boasts over 9,000 photos, 16 plant categories – it is somewhat US-centric, though still very useful for a UK garden. You can view information such as water usage, size, and sun requirements. Most have a short description of the plant along with cultivation information, common uses, and any problems they may have. Each plant entry includes beautiful pictures, or you can add your own picture to each plant.
Garden House friend Steve B recommends Garden Journal (£0.69) – it’s a great on-the-go app for capturing photos and essential data as a garden visit or trip unfolds. Or use it to quickly track your garden as each season evolves, making notes as you go. When your journal entry is complete you can save it on your iPhone or you email your entries, along with the attached photo, to anyone you would like to share the moment with.
Another Garden House friend, Maggie L, recommends TreeId (£2.39). This app is listed in BBC Countryfiles top 10 apps, and is a comprehensive field guide to identifying trees found growing in the open countryside and natural woodland of the British Isles. All species native to the British Isles are covered, also naturalised species. Listings include data on family, genus, status, distribution, ecological value, location, soil preference, timber, firewood, diseases, medicinal and other uses.
If you want to find out details over 2,000 plants and see more than 9.500 colour pictures then the Botany Buddy Tree & Shrub Finder (£6.99) could be the app for you. It is pretty expensive but the interface is very slick and the whole thing is well presented. Apart from the price, the only drawback you might find is that the plants are US oriented, although having said that you should find most of the ones you are looking at even if you prefer native UK plants.
The Collins British Wildlife Photoguide (£5.99) is an interactive version of the popular Collins Complete British Wildlife Photoguide. This easy-to-use guide features more than 1500 species most likely to be encountered (with photo images and text descriptions). 16 categories include birds, amphibians, spiders, wild flowers and fungi.
And finally, Bird of Britain and Ireland (£12.99) equal parts wildlife guide and feel-good pick-me-up, it features comprehensive information on 271 species of birds, including illustrations and photographs, info on typical behavior, quick searches – and wonderfully, audio recordings of both songs and calls.