Capturing the Story Behind Every Plant in Your Garden
Sunday, 23rd March 2025
Two years ago, driven by nostalgia and personal passion, Steve developed the Petals App, an innovative garden tagging system designed to bring the tradition of gardening into the digital age.
Petals App allows gardeners to easily tag plants using smart, weather-resistant labels embedded with NFC technology. By simply tapping a smartphone against a label, users instantly link the plant to their digital garden. Each label stores extensive data, from basic plant details to sentimental notes such as where and why a plant was purchased, along with essential information like care instructions, growth history, and soil preferences. Users can add custom fields for unique needs, enabling a tailored gardening experience.
The inspiration behind Petals App is deeply personal. Steve's grandfather was renowned locally for his stunning garden, a space filled with cherished family memories. After his grandparents' passing in 2023, Steve and his partner took on the task of nurturing the family garden. They quickly realised each plant had its own unique story - memories that deserved preservation. Petals App was Steve's solution, designed to capture these memories and continue the legacy of a treasured garden.
Steve discovered a gap in the market - while professional horticulturists had sophisticated tools to catalogue plants, amateur gardeners lacked accessible digital solutions to document and share their gardens. Petals fills this niche perfectly, offering hobbyists and enthusiasts the opportunity to easily manage their gardens digitally, sharing their green spaces online within a dedicated gardening community.
Petals App stands alone in its simplicity and practicality. Users not only track growth and care information but also store visual records like photos and original plant tags - critical for future gardening tasks. Over two years, Steve thoroughly tested the app and labels through all weather conditions. Impressively, after two summers and two winters, the original labels remain intact, proving their durability and practicality.
Designed with enthusiasts in mind, Petals aims to be affordable and user-friendly. Gardeners can purchase robust, tap-enabled plastic markers or versatile NFC-encoded stickers for existing pots or labels. With over 150 labels already thriving in his own garden, Steve's experience underscores the app's value and ease of use.
As Petals App moves toward a public launch, Steve's primary hope is simple: that others will find it as useful and rewarding as he has.
Petals App allows gardeners to easily tag plants using smart, weather-resistant labels embedded with NFC technology. By simply tapping a smartphone against a label, users instantly link the plant to their digital garden. Each label stores extensive data, from basic plant details to sentimental notes such as where and why a plant was purchased, along with essential information like care instructions, growth history, and soil preferences. Users can add custom fields for unique needs, enabling a tailored gardening experience.
The inspiration behind Petals App is deeply personal. Steve's grandfather was renowned locally for his stunning garden, a space filled with cherished family memories. After his grandparents' passing in 2023, Steve and his partner took on the task of nurturing the family garden. They quickly realised each plant had its own unique story - memories that deserved preservation. Petals App was Steve's solution, designed to capture these memories and continue the legacy of a treasured garden.
Steve discovered a gap in the market - while professional horticulturists had sophisticated tools to catalogue plants, amateur gardeners lacked accessible digital solutions to document and share their gardens. Petals fills this niche perfectly, offering hobbyists and enthusiasts the opportunity to easily manage their gardens digitally, sharing their green spaces online within a dedicated gardening community.
Petals App stands alone in its simplicity and practicality. Users not only track growth and care information but also store visual records like photos and original plant tags - critical for future gardening tasks. Over two years, Steve thoroughly tested the app and labels through all weather conditions. Impressively, after two summers and two winters, the original labels remain intact, proving their durability and practicality.
Designed with enthusiasts in mind, Petals aims to be affordable and user-friendly. Gardeners can purchase robust, tap-enabled plastic markers or versatile NFC-encoded stickers for existing pots or labels. With over 150 labels already thriving in his own garden, Steve's experience underscores the app's value and ease of use.
As Petals App moves toward a public launch, Steve's primary hope is simple: that others will find it as useful and rewarding as he has.