4.19.2018

Using the App "GardenAnswers" to Identify Flowers


I’ve been learning a bit about flowering plants with an app on my iPhone. I can’t recall if I’ve commented on “GardenAnswers” here on a prior blog post or not, but I’ve been using the app for a year or so.

My last blog post included a few crocuses I had photographed at a nearby garden, Tower Hill Botanic Garden. A crocus is one of just a few flowers I can identify. I know a pretty flower when I see it, but most of the time I have no idea of its identity.

“GardenAnswers” has come to the rescue. All I need to do on my iPhone is open the app and then take a photo of the flower or search my photo album for a photo already taken.  I guess it is like face recognition technology, as the app analyzes the photo and gives samples of flowers that look similar. You can then pick the one that best matches. The app will give you the matching flower’s common and scientific names, and a brief description of some of its characteristics.

This all works smoothly almost always. When it doesn’t, and no adequate samples are found, you have the option to send the image to one of their horticulturists for identification.  The cost is $1.

"Glory of the Snow".  An early season flowering bulb
Olympus E-M1 and 12-100mm zoom @ 86mm (172mm equiv)
1/800sec, F4, ISO200, +.7EV



This is how I used the above image and “GardenAnswers” this morning, an app on my iPhone. 

I picked "photo album" as the image was already in my phone library

I matched my photo (top) with the photo their software picked (bottom)

I confirmed the match and received an identification and description

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