Gardening with Social Media

In recent years, social media has become the way many people communicate, make friends, and grow their businesses. But did you know that you can also use social media to help you garden? One of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a landscape designer and garden writer is my online experience across multiple social platforms.

You might already be familiar with these suggestions, but perhaps you aren’t currently using social media sites to inform your gardening. Here are my best tips for making your garden shine with inspiration from your laptop, smart phone, or tablet.

Get the apps. We often joke that “there’s an app for everything,” and we might just be right. Major plant developers and breeders often have apps to help you garden, and many of them are free. These apps help you track your garden successes, make notes for next year’s garden, look up different tomato varieties, learn planting times for your area, and check the weather forecast.

Pin away. I love Pinterest because it’s a visual way to organize my thoughts and ideas. I have Pinterest boards for pathways, garden art, garden color, DIY projects, and plant photography. You can even follow famous gardeners and designers to soak up inspiration from their projects and home gardens, search for specific information, or create a private board for your eyes only.

Join a group. I’m a member of a number of garden-related Facebook groups from southwest gardening to vegetable gardening and plant-specific gardening (coleus or roses, for example). This allows me to get into greater depth in my conversations, learn about new plant introductions, and get help to figure out a garden problem. Some groups are open for all to join, while others may require permission from the group administrator.

Post your pics. Instagram is my newest obsession. It’s quick and easy — just post a pic of your pretty containers or huge pumpkins with a comment (or no comment) and off you go. No need to hang around for conversations as on Twitter or Facebook; simply post and go. And it’s an added plus that Instagram culture dictates no more than once or twice a day posting — it’s what the cool kids do, but also relieves you of the obligation to stay longer and post more often than you have time for.