Troubleshooting

Before you dig in

Three things fix a surprising number of issues on their own:

• Reload the page. The classic. Try it before anything else.
• Try a different browser or an incognito window. This rules out extensions and cached state.
• Check your internet. Garden Sketchbook needs a network connection to load your garden and save your changes.

Signing in and accounts

I can't sign in

Sign-in uses Clerk, a third party auth provider. If the sign-in window won't open or gets stuck, check that your browser is allowing third-party cookies for the app. Some privacy extensions block sign-in flows too — try disabling them or use an incognito window.

If you're sure your email and password are correct and it still won't accept them, get in touch.

My demo garden disappeared

Demo gardens are stored in your browser session and expire 24 hours after they're created. They also don't travel between devices or browsers. If you close the tab and come back the next day, you'll land on a fresh demo garden.

To keep a garden permanently, sign up (or start a Gardener trial) — the demo you're working on carries over automatically.

Editor issues

The 3D view won't load

Usually one of two things:

• WebGL is disabled or not supported. Very old browsers may not have it. Update to a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
• Your device is very memory-constrained. On the tightest phones and tablets, the app deliberately skips 3D and gives you a 2D-only experience — the 3D scene would either crash the tab or run at one frame per second, too slow to be useful.

3D is slow or choppy

See the Performance section on the 3D Visualization page for the full picture. Three things that can help on older devices: close other tabs, hide the 3D view while you work in 2D (there's an Expand 2D button), and reduce the number of unique plant species in your design.

I can't drag plants onto the canvas

A few things to check:

• Make sure you're in Edit Plants mode (the flower icon in the editor header).
• If the tool buttons look faded, your account may be in view-only state — a lapsed subscription, a cancelled plan, or a checkout that's still pending. See below.
• Try clicking the plant's card in the library first, or use the plus button on the card if drag isn't cooperating with your input device.

My editing tools are greyed out

This means your account is in view-only state. Hovering a greyed tool explains why — usually a lapsed trial, a cancelled subscription, or a checkout that's still pending. Resubscribing restores editing.

My garden isn't saving

Saves are automatic. If you're seeing errors:

• Check your internet first. Once the connection is back, the app should catch up on its own — watch for the "Changes saved" hint to reappear.
• If your connection is fine and saves still won't go through, get in touch with a screenshot. I can check the logs and will do my best to help you recover your garden. If you're technologically inclined, you can also check the browser console for errors and include those in your message.

Printing

Nothing happens when I tap Create Printable Plan

Most often, your browser blocked the popup window that holds the printable plan. Look for a popup-blocked icon in the address bar, allow popups for the app, and try again.

The Create Printable Plan button is greyed out

If a Gardener subscription has lapsed or been cancelled, it's in a view only state. Printing is paused until you resubscribe.

The diagram is too small to read

You may want to print a smaller section, not the full plan. Zoom and pan the 2D canvas to frame the section you want, then open the dialog again and switch the scope to Visible area. The full plant list is still included on page two.

See Printing & Exporting for the full breakdown.

Payments and subscriptions

Checkout won't complete

Payments go through Stripe. If the checkout page won't load or is stuck, that's usually a browser extension or network issue — try an incognito window or a different browser. If Stripe reports a card issue, contact your card issuer; I can't see the details of a declined charge.

I paid for the $9 export but can't print

The $9 export applies to a specific anonymous demo garden only — it's a way to print your plan without signing up. A couple of things to check:

• Make sure you're still viewing the same demo garden you paid for, in the same browser session. If you've since started a fresh demo, closed and reopened the tab in a way that lost the session, or the original demo hit its 24-hour expiry, the unlock doesn't carry over.
• Payment confirmation can occasionally lag by a few seconds. If the button is still offering the paywall after you paid, refresh the page and try again.

If neither applies, get in touch with the email you used for the purchase and I'll dig in.

How do I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel at any time from your account page. Click your avatar in the upper right corner of the screen, then choose Manage account > Subscription. Your gardens stay viewable after cancellation; editing and printing are paused until you resubscribe.

Still stuck?

If none of the above helps, please get in touch — include a screenshot if you can, and mention what browser you're using and roughly what you were doing when the problem happened.