It’s the time of year for garden transformations. Up and down the country, many of us will be kicking our lawn mowers into life, grabbing a spade and giving our green spaces some well needed TLC.
For some, it’s all about the craft of designing a garden which looks great. Others will simply want to spruce up the backdrop for when they break out the barbecue in those rare spots of British summer sunshine.
Whatever your motivation, I’ve found the perfect tool to help you seem like a green-fingered God in no time – and it’s right under your nose. Recently, I’ve been using Google’s Gemini AI to help out in the garden, and it has proven to be an invaluable assistant.
(Image credit: Future)
Why I need Gemini in my garden
Let’s get one thing clear – I have next to no gardening knowledge to speak of. Sure, I’ve done odds and ends in the past, but nothing particularly worthy of note. My novice nature means I’m often completely clueless about certain terminology or things in front of me.
Gemini dispels that entirely. From pointing the camera at a bug to identify what it is – and if it’s going to gnaw its way through my handiwork – to asking for clarification of what certain terminology means, Gemini has been a godsend for me.
It goes even further – I’m now using it while wandering around town to identify the names of plants I like and want to add to my garden. Perhaps the best endorsement I can think of is that my partner – who is both a gardening expert and a technophobe – now asks me to double check things with Gemini when we’re working in the green stuff.
How to use Gemini in your garden
As mentioned, I find that using the new live camera mode is the most useful way to put Gemini to work. It’s great for identification, while the context aware nature of the app means that you can continue to ask questions on a similar topic, without having to recontextualise your request.
I’ll often have a conversation along the lines of, “what is this thing?”, following up with, “does it damage my plants?” or “do I need to be worried about it?”
I’m not the only one making use of AI in the garden, either. While it’s not quite being used in the same way, there are already examples of gardeners using AI for everything from design to advice, while the RHS Chelsea Flower Show even showcased an AI garden this year where users could talk to trees, with AI offering updates on what care is required to keep them healthy.
I’ll stick with my AI assistant for now – but who knows what the future may hold?
