Free · iPhone, Android and web
Keep every plant in your yard alive.
Watering reminders that skip when it rains, freeze alerts before cold nights, and seasonal care matched to your region. Add anything already growing in your yard, native or not.
Pollinator PatchMonNo watering needed: Purple Coneflower
Skip watering Purple Coneflower today. Recent rainfall was enough.
- Pollinator PatchWed
Frost tonight in Austin: 31°F
Below 32°F 2am–7am. Cover Purple Coneflower tonight. Uncover after sunrise (~8am).
- Pollinator Patchnow
Fall care for your garden
Fall tasks for your plants: cut back spent growth on 4 plants, refresh mulch around 3 plants, and leave seed heads standing on 2 plants for the birds. The full list is in the app.
4,700+ native plants · 449 rebate programs across 44 states · 173 native plant nurseries
Plant care
Care that knows your yard and your calendar.
Add the plants already growing in your yard, native or not, and the app handles the timing. Watering while a plant establishes, cover before a freeze, and the seasonal work that actually matters where you garden.
Watering that skips the rain
Reminders timed to how established each plant is. If rain already did the job, the app tells you to skip it.
Freeze alerts before cold nights
What to cover, and when to take the cover back off. Alerts arrive batched into one calm daily note.
Seasonal care for your region
What to cut back, what to leave standing, and when, matched to the ecoregion your ZIP falls in rather than a generic calendar.
Something going wrong with a plant you own? Our problem guides walk the likely causes in order, with one thing to check for each.
See plant problem guides
Plan a new bed
Three answers. That is the whole interview.
When you are ready to add something, the planner asks where you are, how much sun the spot gets, and how the ground drains, then recommends native plants that belong there. Everything else is optional.
Your ZIP
Finds your ecoregion and narrows 4,700+ natives down to the ones that actually belong where you live.
Your sun
Sun most of the day, about half, or mostly shade. The plan only uses plants that will thrive in the light your bed really gets.
Your water
After a heavy rain, does water pool there or drain away? Most natives ask for less than you think once they are established.
Fine-tune it if you want
- HOA rules
- Pet toxicity
- Style
- Color palette
- Bed size and shape
- In stock nearby
The pet filter keeps your plan to plants that are not on the ASPCA toxic plant list. The in-stock filter checks daily inventory at partner nurseries where we have them today, starting in North Texas. Skip every one of these and you still get a full plan.
Start your plan
What you get
A plan you can hold, and a list of where to buy it.
The plan gets you to the nursery this afternoon: the full plant list with counts, a layout with clean edges, the local rebate worth claiming, and who has your plants in stock.
Project one-pager
The whole plan on one printable page. Free, and no email required to print it.
Project packet
The HOA-friendly packet, a detailed plant list, a bloom calendar with colors, installation notes, and the steps to apply for your local rebate.
The rebate worth claiming
We check 449 programs across 44 states for one your city or water utility runs, and the plan shows what it covers.
Where to buy them
Partner nurseries with live inventory, so you know the plants are in stock before you go. Local where we have one nearby, and growers who ship to your state where we do not.
Free to start. Pro unlocks the full HOA packet.
The after image is a Garden Planner preview, generated by an AI image model from the real yard photo. It replants the yard with native plants chosen to fit that yard's ecoregion, sun, and HOA strictness. The finished planting will look different.
Garden Planner
What a plan can look like.
Real front yards, replanted on screen with natives that fit their region. Open a pair to compare before and after and see the plant list behind it.
The after image is a Garden Planner preview, generated by an AI image model from the real yard photo. It replants the yard with native plants chosen to fit that yard's ecoregion, sun, and HOA strictness. The finished planting will look different.
More renderings from real plans
The after image is a Garden Planner preview, generated by an AI image model from the real yard photo. It replants the yard with native plants chosen to fit that yard's ecoregion, sun, and HOA strictness. The finished planting will look different.
FAQ
Common questions.
About the app, native plants, HOAs, and what "low maintenance" actually means.
What is Pollinator Patch?
Pollinator Patch is a native plant planning and maintenance app. It helps you research plants, build a yard plan, track your garden over time, and get answers to care questions (especially if you're in an HOA neighborhood). Browse plants and butterflies for free, track your garden in My Garden, get custom planting plans, and ask questions with Ask Patch. No gardening experience needed.
What is the Garden Planner?
The Garden Planner takes a photo of your front yard and shows it replanted with native plants that fit your ecoregion, sun, and HOA situation, then turns that design into a real plan with a free one-page plan PDF. Every user gets two free yard previews a day, and your first plant swap re-render is free too. Pro raises that to 10 previews a day with unlimited swapping within them.
Does it help with plants I already have, even if they are not native?
Yes. Care is for every plant you own. Add whatever is already growing in your yard, native or not, and you get watering reminders, freeze alerts, and seasonal guidance for it. The recommendation side is different: when the app suggests what to plant next, or builds a plan, or renders a Garden Planner preview, it only ever recommends species native to your region.
What is My Garden?
My Garden is where you track everything you've planted. Add plants, organize by zone (front bed, side yard, containers), and see care info and what's blooming each month. It's free and unlimited. The more you add, the more useful the app becomes. Care profiles show establishment progress, seasonal notes, watering guidance, and pruning windows for plants in our database, and the Garden journal keeps a photo-and-note diary as your yard fills in.
What is Ask Patch?
Ask Patch is a native plant advisor built into the app. Ask it care questions, plant ID questions, what's dead vs. dormant, when to prune, what to plant next. It knows native plants for your region and gives practical answers. Free users get 3 questions/month. Pro gets 30/month with answers personalized to your actual garden. Ask Patch is free through September 30 during the Founding Gardener window.
What regions does Pollinator Patch support?
Pollinator Patch is live nationwide on iPhone, Android (Google Play), and on the web. Plant data and regional recommendations cover the 48 contiguous states and DC, matched to your ecoregion; the rebate directory and HOA law summaries span all 50 states.
I'm a complete beginner. Is this app for me?
Yes, that's who we built it for. The guides cover the basics in plain language, the plant filters narrow things down so you're not staring at 500 species, and Ask Patch can answer questions as they come up. No gardening background needed.
What's free vs what's Pro?
Free: My Garden (unlimited zones and plants), browse 4,700+ native plants, 480+ butterflies, and 400+ native bees, pet-safe and HOA-friendly filters, free guides, the Garden Planner (two free yard previews a day, and a free one-page plan PDF from any result), the Garden journal, and Ask Patch (3 questions/month). Every plant records its own history as you go, and the three most recent entries are always free to read. Pro ($5.99/month or $44.99/year; founding annual $29.99/year): Ask Patch at 30 questions/month personalized to your garden, the full history for every plant plus your saved Ask Patch conversations, the Garden Planner at 10 previews a day with plant swaps included, all templates, unlimited garden plans, and the full HOA packet export.
Where can I download the app?
Pollinator Patch is free on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and on the web at app.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com. Search "Pollinator Patch" on the App Store or Google Play, or open the web app from any browser.
What does 'HOA-conscious' mean? Is this HOA approved?
It means the plans use things HOAs typically look for: clean edges, controlled heights, grouped plantings instead of random scattering, and printable plans you can hand to your board. We do NOT guarantee HOA approval. Every community is different. This is a planning tool, not legal advice.
What does 'low maintenance' really mean for a native garden?
Low maintenance doesn't mean zero effort. It means less watering (once established), less fertilizer, and fewer pest issues than lawns or non-natives. You'll still need seasonal pruning, weeding (especially in year one), and mulch refresh. Expect 1-2 hours a month after establishment.
Is Pollinator Patch legal advice? Are you guaranteeing HOA approval?
No. Pollinator Patch is a planning and maintenance app, not legal or landscaping advice. We can't guarantee your HOA will approve anything. Every HOA has its own rules. The plans are built around common HOA expectations, but approval is your board's call. Check your CC&Rs before you start planting.
Still have questions?
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