Built for how designers actually work
Every feature in Trowel exists because a real garden designer needed it. No bloat. No learning curve. Just the tools that make your work better.
A canvas built for the way you think
Trowel's visual canvas mirrors how designers actually plan — placing plants spatially, understanding front/middle/back rows, and seeing the arrangement take shape in real time.
- ✓Drag-and-drop plant placement on a scaled canvas
- ✓Plants render as sized circles — accurately proportional to pot dimensions
- ✓Click to select · drag to move · double-click to remove
- ✓S / M / L / XL size picker before adding each plant
- ✓Real-time plant count shown as you add or remove plants
- ✓Circle and rectangle pot shapes supported
Photorealistic previews before you buy a single plant
Trowel sends your plant placement data to Google's Imagen AI, which generates a photorealistic garden photograph — automatically, every time you save. Show clients exactly what they'll get.
- ✓Auto-generates on every save — no button to press
- ✓Plants are organized into back/middle/front rows for accurate arrangement
- ✓Understands pot shape, dimensions, season, and your design notes
- ✓Detects flower beds vs. containers and adjusts accordingly
- ✓Regenerate on demand with one click
- ✓Opens full-resolution in a new tab for client presentations
Design feedback that understands horticulture
Every design gets scored 0–100 by Gemini AI. Trowel's reviewer respects your design notes — if you say "no thriller", it reviews how well the design follows that direction instead of suggesting you add one.
- ✓Quick review runs automatically every time you save
- ✓Deep analysis available on demand for thorough feedback
- ✓Issues flagged by severity: high / medium / low
- ✓Score color-coded: green (80+), amber (60-79), red (below 60)
- ✓AI Generate Design: describe sun level and style, AI picks and places plants
- ✓Top suggestions appear directly on the AI Tools tab
From design to approval, nothing slips through
Trowel's approval workflow ensures every design is reviewed before it goes to a client. Managers see everything. Designers get clear feedback. Nothing gets installed without sign-off.
- ✓Status workflow: Draft → Pending Review → Approved / Needs Revision
- ✓Manager role can approve or request revision with notes
- ✓Designers cannot change approval status — roles are enforced
- ✓Full approval notes preserved on every design
- ✓Visual status badges on the designs list page
One-click exports that actually get used
Trowel generates Excel exports that match how purchasing and wholesale actually work — not just generic spreadsheets.
- ✓Shopping List: one row per plant per design, grouped by client
- ✓Bulk Inventory: aggregated plant counts for wholesale ordering
- ✓Filter by season: Spring / Summer / Fall / Winter / All
- ✓Export only approved designs or include all statuses
- ✓Download directly — no email required
A plant library that gets smarter over time
Your plant master list is the foundation of every design. Trowel's AI automatically fills in attributes for every plant in your library — so you spend less time on data entry and more time designing.
- ✓AI Fill: type a plant name, AI returns sun, water, size, bloom time, color instantly
- ✓Import your existing plant list from CSV or Excel (Professional plan and up)
- ✓Filter picker by category: Annual / Perennial / Shrub / Grass
- ✓Color swatch shows primary plant color in the picker panel
- ✓AI Fill works for virtually any annual, perennial, or tropical you grow