Frequently Asked Questions

About Garden Sketchbook

What is Garden Sketchbook?

A browser-based garden design app. Design a garden plan by dragging and dropping plants into a 2D canvas, and see the whole thing come to life in 3D — including how it'll look through the year. It's meant to help you plan a real garden before you commit to buying plants (or digging up your yard).

Who is it for?

Home gardeners, landscape enthusiasts, and small-scale designers. You don't need any special training to use it — but the results are precise enough to refer to as you plant, and you can take a printed plan to a nursery and buy exactly what you need.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Garden Sketchbook runs in your web browser. Any recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge will do.

Accounts and getting started

Do I need to sign up to try it?

No. Go to app.gardensketchbook.com and a Demo garden opens automatically. Everything works — you can design, see it in 3D, walk through the seasons.

What happens to my demo garden after 24 hours?

It expires. Demo gardens live in your browser session for 24 hours and don't travel between devices or browsers. If you want to keep the garden, sign up before then — the demo carries over into your account automatically.

How do I get started designing?

Start with the Quick Start Guide. If you'd prefer a longer walkthrough with real plant choices, try Creating Your First Garden.

Plans and pricing

What does a subscription cost?

Gardener is $39/year with a 14-day free trial. See the pricing page for the current details and what's included.

Do I need to enter a card for the trial?

Yes. The trial collects a card at signup, but you're not charged until day 15, and you can cancel any time before then to avoid the charge entirely.

Can I cancel any time?

Yes — from your account page (Manage account > Subscription). Your gardens stay viewable after you cancel; editing and printing are paused until you resubscribe.

What if my subscription lapses?

Your account moves to a view-only state. You can still open all your gardens and look at them, but the editing tools and the print button are paused until you resubscribe. Nothing is deleted.

What's Studio and when will it be available?

Studio is a tier aimed at professional designers — think client share links, branded exports, and plant sourcing info. It's coming, but not yet available. You can join the waitlist if you'd like to hear when it lands.

Do you offer refunds?

Get in touch if something's not working out and I'll work with you based on your situation. Contact details are on the contact page.

Plants

How many plants are in the library?

About 500 currently — a curated mix chosen to cover most gardens well, rather than an exhaustive catalogue. More plants are being added all the time. All the plant art is hand drawn, so it takes time to add new varieties.

Do you have plants for my region?

The library skews toward temperate-climate plants across North America, the UK, and cooler parts of Europe. You can filter by native region (five zones each in Canada and the US, plus the UK) and by hardiness zone. Sub-tropical and tropical gardens are less well covered right now.

Can I add plants that aren't in the library?

Yes, Gardener subscribers can create custom plant varieties. See Custom Plants for how it works.

Designing

Can I trace over a photo of my yard?

Yes. Upload a JPG or PNG in 2D Background mode, scale it to real dimensions, and design over it. Any overhead image works — a satellite photo or house blueprint are the best candidates.

Can I add buildings or structures?

Yes. Build mode lets you draw building footprints, set wall heights, and add roof sections. Useful for placing a house in the garden's context or planning around a shed. Build mode is desktop-only for now.

Devices and browsers

Does it work on a tablet?

Yes — iPads and Android tablets both work. The layout adapts to the smaller screen. Build mode is desktop-only, but every other feature works on tablets.

Is there an iOS or Android app?

No native app — Garden Sketchbook runs in the browser. On phones and tablets, you can add the site to your home screen if you'd like an app-like icon.

Does it work on a Chromebook?

Yes. Chromebooks generally handle the 2D editor without any issue. The 3D view can be slower on lower-end models — see the performance notes if you hit a wall.

Does it work offline?

No. Garden Sketchbook needs a network connection to load your garden and to save your changes.

Privacy and data

Who can see my designs?

Only you. Your gardens aren't public or shared with anyone by default.

Can I delete my account and my data?

Yes — get in touch and I'll delete the whole account. I'm working on a self-serve option too.

Something else?

If your question isn't here, try Troubleshooting or get in touch. Feedback and questions both help me improve the app.