Build your plant records
Choose up to five plants. During a Zoom setup call, we’ll help you bring together photos, planting dates, growing conditions, watering and what you have already tried.
California native garden pilot
Plant care advice that knows your native garden.
Guidance informed by your plant photos, watering, and observations. Keep your garden’s story in one place, then use it to make more informed care decisions.
Be one of Garden Ally’s first 10 gardeners.
Get an early preview through our 30-day pilot: personalized guidance for up to five plants, a Zoom setup call, and two remote follow-ups.
Pilot participation: $29 total
Planned start: mid-to-late October 2026
Apply for the pilot No payment when you apply.
A garden journal built around your plants.What is Garden Ally?
Your garden journal.
More personal plant care.
A plant’s name is only the beginning. When was it planted? How much sun does it get? When did you water, and what changed afterward? Garden Ally brings those details together with photos and observations, so the guidance can build on your plant’s actual history.
The journal is the foundation. The pilot helps you turn that record into a useful next step—and come back to see what happened.
How the pilot works
A record, a next step,
and a chance to follow through.
Get guidance with context
We review your records and questions, then share personalized, AI-assisted recommendations. You can see what informed the advice and where more information is needed.
See what changes
Add observations as you care for your plants. At two follow-ups during the 30 days, we review what changed and help adjust the next steps.
The person behind Garden Ally
Hi, I’m Marcus—the gardener behind Garden Ally.
Marcus Rosenthal · Long Beach, California
I’m a Long Beach gardener with 13 years of home gardening experience, including four focused on native plants, and a co-founder of the Long Beach Native Plant Collective.
My eight-year-old son, Luca, and I became passionate about native plants after visiting the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour in 2024. In 2026, we organized our own event, the Long Beach Botanical Garden Tour. Luca is all in: he has told me we are never to plant another non-native plant in our garden.
I started building Garden Ally out of frustration with my own garden. Too many of my native plants weren’t making it, and I wanted to understand why—and find a better way to get useful advice from experts and AI. Conversations with other native-plant gardeners showed me that many shared those challenges.
My most recent job was at Sensei Farms. During my six years there, I worked on implementing new technology in our commercial greenhouses, ranging from 1 to 30 acres. Now I’m exploring how similar approaches—better records, informed decisions, and learning from results—can improve native-plant gardening. I’m starting with home gardeners, with a longer-term vision of supporting restoration projects and commercial gardeners too.
Garden Ally brings together photos, observations, and care history so guidance can reflect your plants’ actual experience. It can help you explore planting locations and timing, site preparation, watering, maintenance, pest and disease concerns, and propagation from seeds or cuttings.
During this pilot, you’ll work directly with me remotely, starting with a Zoom setup call. We’ll review AI-assisted guidance together, consult expert resources for more challenging situations, and follow up as your plants change. Your experience will help shape what Garden Ally becomes.
Your early preview
Personal support for your first 30 days.
Ten gardeners. Up to five plants each. A small pilot with time to help you get started and learn from your experience.
- Personal setup help over Zoom for up to five of your plants
- An initial review of their photos, growing conditions and care history
- Personalized, AI-assisted guidance reviewed by a person
- Two remote follow-ups to review changes and adjust the guidance
$29 total for the pilot.
Apply first. Pay only if accepted and you choose to join.
Apply for one of 10 pilot spots
Tell us about your native garden.
Share a little about your plants and what you would like help with. We’ll contact you about fit and next steps. There is no charge to apply.
Planned start: mid-to-late October 2026
Get ready for fall planting with personalized guidance for your native garden. We’ll confirm your start date and schedule your Zoom setup call before you decide to pay. Your 30 days of pilot support begin with that call.
Is this pilot a fit?
A good starting point
You garden in California, care for California native plants, and want help with a few newer or concerning plants. You are willing to share photos, record care and join two follow-ups.
Outside this pilot’s scope
Onsite visits, commercial landscape management, emergency diagnosis and guaranteed plant survival. If you are unsure whether your needs fit, tell us in your application.
A few practical details
Before you apply.
Is setup in person or over Zoom?
Setup is a Zoom call with Marcus. All pilot support is remote; home and garden visits are not included. If you have a computer or tablet, join Zoom on that device while using Garden Ally on your phone. If you only have a phone, let us know so we can plan setup around it.
What does the $29 cover?
The entire 30-day pilot for up to five plants you already care for: a Zoom setup call, an initial review, personalized guidance and two follow-ups. All support is remote; in-person home or garden visits are not included. It does not include purchasing or delivering plants. You pay only after acceptance if you choose to join; there is no automatic renewal.
What will I need to do?
Choose up to five plants, share current photos and what you know about their location and care, and add observations as things change. You do not need perfect records to begin. We will help you get started and ask you to participate in two follow-ups and share feedback on the experience.
Is this a finished app or an early preview?
It is an early preview with personal remote support. Garden Ally brings plant records together, and the pilot combines that journal with personally reviewed guidance. Some steps will be handled with our help as we learn what gardeners find useful. We will confirm device access and setup details before you decide to pay.
Who creates the recommendations?
The pilot uses AI to help organize context and develop guidance, with human review before recommendations are shared. We use trusted California native-plant references, explain uncertainty and include supporting sources where feasible. We may ask for more information rather than guess from a photo.
What happens after I apply?
We review your garden's needs and contact you about fit, availability and how to get started. If accepted, you can decide whether to join for $29 total. We are planning to start in mid-to-late October 2026. We’ll confirm your start date and schedule your Zoom setup call before you decide to pay. Your 30 days of pilot support begin with that call. Submitting this form does not charge you or confirm a place.
What happens after 30 days?
The supported pilot ends, and we will ask what was useful and what could be better. Any future paid offer will be a separate choice. Applying does not commit you to a subscription.