Hota: A New iPhone App for Novice Gardeners
If, like me, you’re a novice gardener (read: I occasionally plant some bulbs and then wonder why my garden doesn’t look nice all year round), then you might want to download a new iPhone app, Hota, which aims to help beginner gardeners with what they should plant and where.
How Hota Works
Hota is well-designed with an easy-to-use UX that makes gardening more accessible. When you open the app, it identifies the direction your garden is facing, as well as what it calls Soil ID – the type of soil you have, which is based on your location (Hota currently only works in the UK). You then input the size of your bed, the themes or colors you prefer, and it brings up a list of easy-to-maintain plants to plant in the front, middle, and back of your bed.
Design and Features
The app’s design ensures it stands out among the competition. "So many gardening products use light greens or watercolours, but we wanted to design something that represents the boldness of flowers, which is also helpful when trying to compete with the bright lights of a phone Home Screen," says Hannah. "Having bright pinks and corals felt energizing and fun."
The app icon was initially inspired by the shape of a tulip, and the original name of the app "bud" (it loosely shapes the letters b-u-d), but the duo soon discovered a popular marijuana app that they didn’t want to compete with. They landed on the name "Hota" but stuck with the logo.
Planting and Maintenance
Once you have planted Hota’s suggested plants, you click a button to let the app know and it then tells you when to water, weed, prune, and deadhead, using a traffic light system to show you the urgency of tasks. "We wanted a homepage that you can see at a glance what needs doing. This inspired the traffic light garden maintenance icons at the top of the home page, with more detail available tapping into a bed," says Hannah.
Bed Design and Buying Plants
The app has just launched with a new feature, Bed Design, which generates an interactive plant bed design, showing you exactly where to plant each plant. You can also now buy the suggested plants directly from the app, thanks to a partnership with Proctors Nursery.
What the Creators are Proud Of
What are the husband and wife duo most proud of? "The bed design feature," says Hannah. "Creating a tool that will generate a strong garden border design, for all soil types, for all light levels and all dimensions was a huge technical challenge. We hope this will encourage new gardeners to get started easily."
Conclusion
I look forward to seeing what’s next for Hota, as well as how my garden will develop following its recommendations.
FAQs
Q: Is Hota available only in the UK?
A: Yes, Hota currently only works in the UK.
Q: Can I buy the suggested plants from the app?
A: Yes, thanks to a partnership with Proctors Nursery, you can now buy the suggested plants directly from the app.
Q: How does Hota work?
A: Hota identifies the direction your garden is facing, as well as what it calls Soil ID – the type of soil you have, which is based on your location. You then input the size of your bed, the themes or colors you prefer, and it brings up a list of easy-to-maintain plants to plant in the front, middle, and back of your bed.
