Garden Sketchbook
Garden Sketchbook is a browser-based garden planner for designing layouts to scale and previewing them in 3D across the seasons.
What Garden Sketchbook is
Garden Sketchbook is a browser-based garden planner for designing layouts to scale and previewing them in 3D across the seasons. Its 2D editor lets users arrange plants by drag and drop, while a seasonal view shows changes in the garden and its color palette throughout the year. Plant filters include hardiness zone, sun, soil, bloom season, color, deer resistance, and drought resistance. Plants are sized automatically, and a floor plan or aerial photo can be traced while drawing beds, paths, and structures. The library contains hundreds of plants with growing information and varieties; users can also make custom varieties by changing a plant’s size, color, and bloom time. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge without installation. The 2D planner works on any device, but the 3D seasonal view requires WebGL. The free demo needs no account, though gardens expire after 24 hours. Gardener costs $39 a year after a 14-day trial and saves up to 10 gardens. The free demo offers a one-time $9 PDF export add-on.
Good
- 2D layouts can be previewed in 3D seasonally.
- Plant filters cover growing conditions and resistance traits.
- Trace a floor plan or aerial photo.
- Free demo requires no account.
- Gardener saves up to 10 gardens.
Watch out
- Free demo gardens expire after 24 hours.
- 3D seasonal view requires WebGL.
- PDF export in the demo costs a one-time $9.
- Gardener costs $39 a year after trial.
Who it suits
Garden Sketchbook suits beginners and experienced gardeners who want to plan beds and paths at scale and preview seasonal changes. Its plant filters can help users narrow selections by growing conditions and preferences.
Verdict
Garden Sketchbook combines scaled layout planning with plant information and seasonal previews. The free demo is useful for trying the planner, while permanent garden saving and expanded limits require the paid Gardener plan.
Plans and prices
From Garden Sketchbook's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Demo | Free | No account · gardens expire after 24 hours · 2D editor · 3D seasonal preview · 500+ plant library · desktop structures · 2D background tracing |
| Free | Free | No account needed · Gardens expire after 24 hours · 2D editor and 3D seasonal preview · 500+ plant library · Add-on PDF export for $9 |
| Demo export add-on | $9, paid once | PDF planting plan and shopping list for the current demo garden only · one-time |
| Gardener | $39 a year | Permanent garden storage · up to 10 gardens · garden duplication · unlimited custom plant varieties · unlimited printable plans and shopping lists · 14-day free trial, then $39/year |
| Studio | Priced on request | Unlimited gardens · client share links · branded PDF exports · supplier fields · plant cost summary export · AI layout suggestions · TBD; coming soon |
The facts
Each one read from Garden Sketchbook's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- 2D and 3D design
- Users can arrange plants in a 2D drag-and-drop editor and see the design in 3D.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Account and garden limit
- The free demo requires no account, but gardens expire after 24 hours; the Gardener plan saves gardens permanently and allows up to 10.checked 9 Oct 2026
- API and SDKs
- The Garden Sketchbook pages opened publish no public API, SDK, webhook or developer documentation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The maker describes the product as suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Automatic saving
- Signed-in gardens save automatically without a Save button.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Commercial-use restriction
- The terms prohibit commercial use without the maker’s express written consent.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Creator
- Jen Phillips is identified as the gardener, developer and creator of Garden Sketchbook.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Custom varieties
- Gardener subscribers can create plant varieties by changing a library plant’s size, color and bloom time.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data and security terms
- The terms say users retain ownership of their garden designs and grant the maker a limited license to store and display them to provide the service.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Demo limit
- Demo gardens remain in the browser session for 24 hours and do not move between devices or browsers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Developer model
- Fablehenge says the PWA approach lets its small team maintain one application across Android, iOS, ChromeOS, Windows and macOS.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The maker provides FAQ, quick-start and printing documentation covering workflows, account behavior, device support and export steps.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Export
- The free demo offers a one-time $9 add-on to download a planting plan and shopping list as a PDF.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Independent demo listing
- TryDemo describes the product as a functional browser garden designer with no signup, 2D-to-3D seasonal views and a five-minute-plus interactive session.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent demo score
- TryDemo lists a 95.5/100 demo-fidelity score for Garden Sketchbook.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Interactive design
- Users drag plants into a 2D layout and see the design update in 3D.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The terms identify the original service content, features and functionality as owned by Fablehenge Software, Inc.; no open-source licence is published.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser support
- The app runs in current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge without downloading software.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company headquarters
- Fablehenge says its team lives in New Brunswick, Canada.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company origin
- Fablehenge says it began as a hobby project during the pandemic.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company size
- Fablehenge describes the Garden Sketchbook roadmap as maintained by a one-person development team.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company team
- Fablehenge identifies Jennifer Phillips and Dusty Phillips as its founding team and says Jennifer studied English while Dusty studied computer science.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data ownership
- Users retain ownership of garden designs while granting Fablehenge a limited license to store and display them for service delivery.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The site identifies the maker as Fablehenge Software, Inc.checked 15 Oct 2026
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