Plan your home garden with Copilot

Gardening is about more than cultivating beauty: it’s a practice of discipline and mindfulness, and for many, it’s an excellent way to de-stress. If you’re interested in starting a garden, but don’t have a natural green thumb, don’t worry! Learn how AI-powered Copilot can help you plan a gorgeous garden to enjoy.

Getting started with gardening

If you’re new to the art of gardening, Copilot can teach you the basics. It can answer any questions you have and set you off on a good path to happy, successful gardening.

Try these prompts to get started:

• Can you give me a beginner’s guide to gardening? What are the basics?
• What do I need to know about container gardening on a patio?
• I need backyard garden ideas for a novice.
• I’ve never gardened before. Can you offer a few tips and tricks?

Choosing the right plants

To create an abundant garden, there’s a lot to consider. You need to choose plants that’ll thrive in your climate, with your specific soil type, and given the amount of sun different parts of your garden get.

Ask Copilot prompts like these to help find the right plants for your garden:

• What are the best plants for the climate in my area?
• Can you suggest plants that thrive in sandy soil?
• What flowering plants can survive in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold?
• Which perennial plants are known for being particularly hardy and low maintenance in [your region]?
• Generate a table showcasing five different flowers suitable for a climate like [your region] and their care requirements.

Designing your garden layout

Having Copilot assist you with developing your garden design and plant layout is like getting guidance from a seasoned gardener.

Try prompts like these for garden design help:

• Help me create a veggie garden layout. What information do you need to do that?
• I have a raised bed with full sun that’s 5 by 10 ft. Help me design a layout to grow vegetables in that space.
• My garden space is half shaded and half sunny. I want to grow carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, beets, and peppers. What should I grow where? Help me design a garden layout.

Prepping your garden

Now that you know what to plant and where, it’s time to prep your garden. Ask Copilot to help you get your garden space ready for planting.

Try prompts like these to prep your garden:

• Can you provide a step-by-step guide for soil preparation for a vegetable garden?
• What are effective natural methods for pest control in a garden?
• What is the ideal depth and spacing for planting [specific type of plants]? 
• How do I test and adjust the pH level of my garden soil for optimal plant growth?
• Suggest companion planting combinations for a mixed flower and vegetable garden.

Finding gardening materials

Having the right gardening tools and knowing how to use them is not only crucial for the health of your plants but also for your safety and comfort. You can ask Copilot questions about the tools you should get for your specific garden and where to find sustainable and affordable options. What’s more, if you’ve chosen plants for the garden already, you can ask Copilot where to find seeds or seedlings, too.

Create your garden material checklist with prompts like these:

• What are essential tools for a beginner gardener? I need them to be affordable and eco-friendly.
• Where can I find high-quality seeds for [plant]?
• What are the best sources for buying organic plant seedlings?
• How do I choose the right type of mulch for my garden, and where can I buy it?

Visualizing your garden with Designer

Designer in Copilot is a tool powered by DALL-E 3 that can create a visual representation of your future garden through the power of AI image generation. When you have a solid idea for your garden design, you can input that information into Copilot to see it in real-time. The more specific your prompt is, the better.

Look at how this gardening design prompt comes to life with Designer:

• Create a photo-realistic image of a lush, dense, front-yard garden surrounding a Tudor revival-styled home in the Pacific Northwest. Include plants like azaleas, hydrangeas, fuchsias, bleeding hearts, primroses, foxgloves, and lupines.