You’d think after several decades of gardening, few plants could catch me completely by surprise. Yet nature always finds a way to remind me how much there is left to discover.
During a visit to Arundel Castle and Gardens in the U.K. this summer, I was completely captivated — first by the exquisite water garden, and then by a breathtaking bloom that left me spellbound, all quietly affirming why I do what I do.
Despite searching high and low for a plant label to identify the mysterious bloom, it remained unnamed. In this situation, my trusted go-to move is to snap a quick photo on my phone and post it on social, hoping one of my gardening followers can help.
But, as I am often surrounded by AI discussions at Tom’s Guide, I thought it was time to swap my social media shout-outs for a tech-driven answer.
Follow me on my journey to see whether artificial intelligence can become a reliable gardening companion, or whether I need to fall back on a seasoned gardener’s eye. And true to my aptitude at saving money, I used free apps during my experiment.
What happened when I used AI to identify a plant?
Although I work within digital publishing, I’m not as tech-savvy as some of my Tom’s Guide colleagues, who can navigate digital tools with their eyes shut. But, thankfully, if you can upload a photo to social media, you’re already fully qualified to use AI to identify plants.
Before putting AI to work, you need a crisp, clear shot. Unlike a fellow gardener, a cluttered background will trip up an algorithm. It really won’t be happy if you ask it to identify a plant that’s included in a mixed border.
My tip is to frame a single flower in the center. Cutting out the clutter will give AI exactly what it needs for an accurate identification.
Using Google Gemini
Having opened Google Gemini on my phone, I entered the prompt ‘identify this plant’. I thought it would instruct me to upload an image, but before doing so, it gave me instructions to either provide a photo or describe the plant, including specifics such as leaves and flowers, growth habitat and environment.
I then attached the image of the plant that I’d already taken. However, at this point you could take the photo; it doesn’t already have to be an image you already have stored on your phone.
The results
I didn’t even have time to blink before the results appeared. Apparently my mystery plant is a Cleome hassleriana, commonly known as the spider flower.
Gemini responded with:
"This plant is Cleome (botanical name Cleome hassleriana or Tarenaya hassleriana), commonly known as the Spider Flower or Spider Plant."
I wasn’t expecting any more than the name, and yes, Google Gemini was correct. But I was also given details on the plant’s key characteristics, including its flowers, foliage, growth habit, care and growing tips. Here's a snapshot of some of the details:
"Flowers: Bright pink, purple, or white terminal clusters featuring long, thread-like stamens that extend far beyond the petals, giving them a spider-like appearance."
I'll be sharing more on the beautiful spider flower in another article, as apparently it’s super easy to grow — as advised by my garden designer friend Steven Digby, who often helps me out with my Instagram shout-outs. You won’t get this personalized advice on AI, but it will give you a good start.
Using ChatGPT
Using ChatGPT
I entered the same instructions into ChatGPT to compare results. This time, unlike Gemini, ChatGPT gave me instructions on what to capture in the image, such as taking a photo of the whole plant and getting close-ups of the leaves, any flowers, fruits, or seed pods.
It also suggested capturing the stem or bark and adding any details about location, height and scent. However, from my understanding, it was expecting to identify the plant by a photo, rather than a description alone.
ChatGPT responded with:
"This looks like a spider flower, most likely Cleome hassleriana. The features that stand out are:
• Bright pink flower clusters.
• Very long, thread-like stamens that give the flowers a "spidery" appearance.
• Tall, upright stems.
• Palmately compound leaves with several narrow leaflets."
ChatGPT was correct in its identification, and it did provide some additional details on the plant, but from a user perspective, I found Google Gemini’s information simpler to read. Splitting it into clear headings made it easier to digest.
That said, ChatGPT did pick up that there were other plants within the image, noticing rose leaves, and stated that although it identified rose bushes close by, it was confident in identifying the spider flower as the main plant.
Other apps to try
Although I decided to use Google Gemini, Mike Prospero, U.S. editor-in-chief at Tom’s Guide, previously used Google, Google Chrome and the Gemini app, and he takes you through how to use all three in his article on identifying poison ivy using AI.
AI versus human: The verdict
I was impressed with both Gemini and ChatGPT — each identified the mystery plant instantly from just a single photo, without any further hints.
I’m no longer skeptical about using AI to identify plants, and if you’re impatient and want to know the answer quickly, this tech delivers.
An algorithm won’t give the subtle, seasoned wisdom of an experienced gardener, such as my friend Digby’s advice on how this stunning annual is really easy to grow from seed. (Yes, I doubled my chances and uploaded the photo on social.) But if you want quick answers, it provides accurate plant identification.
My deep dive into AI came down to my new obsession with the spider flower, and now I know what it is and that it’s easy to grow; I’ll be adding it to my garden next year.
How else can AI help gardeners?
This is just the beginning of my gardening journey using AI. I'm already planning other ways to test how AI can help me in the garden, from assisting with planting plans to advising on heat-tolerant plants, and I’ll be sharing what I discover over the coming months. Let me know your thoughts and experiences of using AI in the garden in the comments below.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
