5 of the best apps and podcasts FOR NEW GARDENERS

By Sam Wylie-Harris

If you’re new to gardening, handy apps and podcasts can help nurture your skills. Whether it’s getting your gardening questions answered in a tick, identifying unfamiliar species, or listening to expert advice, all you have to do is surf and stream to be bang up to date.

Reassuringly for beginners, there are lots of options to put you on the front foot…

Blossom

From pretty petals to weird weeds, the Blossom app helps you identify over 12,000 plants, flowers, succulents, and trees Take a shot with your camera or pick a photo from your library, and its artificial intelligence will pinpoint the bloom or leaf. The app also provides growing advice, plant care instructions and much more. Free with in-app purchases.

Candide

A doorway to get you digging, potting and planting, think of Candide as your greatest gardening tool. A weighty tome without the load, you’ll find anything and everything you need to know about plants and flowers. With video tutorials, Q & As and plant ID, you can share posts, hear on-the-spot gardening news and listen to audio tours. Plus, the app doubles up as a fast-track to National Trust gardens and hidden gems to visit. Free.

iNaturalist

With iNaturalist, the focus is on connecting like-minded nature lovers and gardeners, sharing your photos and exploring biodiversity. With a wealth of access to gardening knowledge, naturalists and scientists to help you learn more about nature, you can really get stuck in by recording and sharing your thoughts and impressions with other gardeners worldwide. Free.

A Way To Garden

The garden whisperer across the pond, Margaret Roach has been recording her 25-minute weekly public radio programme for more than 10 years – and has won three silver medals from the Garden Writers’ Association Of America. Intuitive and fun, Roach has a lovely style. Her A Way To Garden podcast is an A to Z of tending and cultivating plants from seeds.

Gardeners’ Question Time

With a worldwide following of avid listeners, Gardeners’ Question Time is entertaining, informative and a wonderful addition to your listening pleasure. With a panel of horticultural experts to answer all those nagging questions and share their gardening knowledge, this is the podcast if you want to be well-informed and build up your gardening repertoire.