Help with every plant you grow
Identify plants and look after them, in your own garden
Identify plants, understand what might be wrong, and get practical help looking after them. Advice is grounded in your plants, beds and growing conditions, and it keeps helping when nothing is wrong.
For UK outdoor gardens · iPhone and Android
What you can do
Identify or check a plant
Photograph a plant to name it, or search by name. Then keep it with the bed it grows in, because all later care advice depends on knowing what it is.
Scan a plant label
If a plant or seed packet still has its label, scanning it gives a more accurate identification than a photo alone.
Scan a bag of bulbs
Scan the pack and BeeWise tells you whether now is the time to plant them, how deep they go, and which of your beds drain well enough. Split the pack across beds, and get a reminder to look for shoots.
Save plants you love to your wishlist
Photograph a plant you like anywhere, at a nursery, a garden visit or a friend's, and save it to your wishlist instead of a bed. BeeWise then shows which of your beds it would be happiest in.
Ask what's wrong with a plant
Describe the symptoms or share a photo. The answer uses what BeeWise already knows about the plant, the bed it's in and its growing conditions.
Look after a specific plant
Know what each plant needs next, from how it's doing, where it grows and what you've already done for it. See when it looks its best and how big it grows, and ask about its care any time.
Check something you didn't plant
Something came up that you didn't sow? Check whether it's a seedling worth keeping before you weed it out.
Ask Bea, your personal Head Gardener
Anything about your garden: decisions, timing, what's worth doing next. It starts from your beds, plants and past jobs.
Share a bed photo with Bea
Show the space, and advice fits the actual bed. The first photo in chat is free; more are included with Member+.
Everything here starts from what BeeWise already knows about your garden: your beds, their light and soil, your plants, photos and past jobs. The more you add, the more specific the help becomes.
Questions
- Can BeeWise identify a plant from a photo?
- Yes. Take or upload a photo and BeeWise names the plant, then keeps it with the bed it grows in. Each identification uses one plant check: the free plan includes 10 to get started and Member+ includes 30 a month.
- How accurate is plant identification?
- Photos of common garden plants are usually identified correctly, but young plants, close cultivars and poor photos can be wrong. A photo rarely tells one variety from another, so scanning the plant's label is more accurate: it gives the exact variety. You can correct any identification.
- Can BeeWise tell me what's wrong with my plant?
- Describe the symptoms or share a photo and BeeWise suggests the likely causes and what to check first, using what it knows about the plant and its bed. Some problems can't be settled from a photo, and it will say so.
- Is BeeWise only useful when something is wrong?
- No. Plant details show when each plant looks its best and how big it grows, and you can ask about routine care, timing and pruning for the plants you actually have.
- When should I plant bulbs?
- In the UK, plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops from September to November; tulips can go in as late as December. Tender summer bulbs such as dahlias and gladioli go in from April or May, once the risk of frost has passed. Scan the bag in BeeWise and it tells you whether now is a good time for those bulbs, and offers a reminder if it's too early.
- How deep do I plant daffodils?
- Two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall, pointed end up, which is usually 10 to 15cm. On heavy soil, sit each bulb on a little grit so it doesn't rot. When you scan a bag of bulbs, BeeWise gives the depth for that type and flags beds that may be too wet for them.
- What are the best plant labels that won't fade?
- Pencil on plastic outlasts most marker pens, and engraved metal lasts longest. But a label only needs to last until you've scanned it: scan it into BeeWise when you plant and the exact variety is saved with the plant and its bed for good. You may still want a simple marker to show where something is, such as bulbs or perennials that disappear over winter, but never to remember what it is.
- How do I keep track of plant labels?
- Scan each label or seed packet into BeeWise. It saves the exact variety with the plant and the bed it grows in, so it no longer matters when the label fades, snaps or disappears. Do it soon: once a label is lost, a photo can usually name the plant but rarely the variety, and the variety can change how you look after it, such as when to prune.
- Is this seedling a weed?
- Photograph it and BeeWise checks whether it's worth keeping, so you know whether to pull it, pot it on or leave it be, before you weed out something you meant to grow.
- Can I save a plant I like but haven't bought yet?
- Yes. Identify it from a photo and add it to your wishlist instead of a bed. BeeWise shows which of your beds would suit it best, and you can move it into that bed once you've planted it.
More of what BeeWise does
Learn what works in your garden. Grow wiser every season.
Join the BeeWise beta and we'll email you when your place is ready.
For UK outdoor gardens · iPhone and Android