Every plant tells a story. That’s what Palmstreet wants us to believe and I tend to agree. In every room of my house, there are collections of plants, each reminding me of a unique story.
There’s the one that cost me more than I had ever spent on a plant. I stood there for longer than I care to remember, deliberating whether it was worth the money. Spoiler: it was worth the money. Then there’s the steal of a plant I got from the local garden center. And lest I forget, there are, of course, the more regular varieties I bought from the plant shop around the corner. My plants are not just nice to look at; they are part of my story and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn’t live without. Read them all here.
Palmstreet has captured the essence of this in their app, which replicates the experience of walking down the street and spotting a plant you must have. They do this by providing a social platform that allows plant sellers to livestream their plant collections to their followers who can buy any plants that take their fancy and have them delivered to their home a few days later.
The thing I love most about this whole experience is that customers get easy access to not just plant sellers but also plant experts. When you’re in a shop, you could always ask to speak to someone and ask them all your questions but you can’t guarantee that you’ll end up speaking to someone who knows what they’re talking about. Palmstreet connects you with people who are passionate about plants. Period.
Along with live feeds, Palmstreet’s Explore section includes photos, stories, reviews, and much more, effectively connecting you with other people in the community. There are thousands upon thousands of people to connect with and I was impressed by the quality of the content.
The stories feature is just like Instagram stories or any other social media stories feature for that matter. Swiping through stories is quick and easy, making it a perfect way to find out more about unfamiliar plants. They’re not exactly the most engaging type of stories but they’re good enough to broaden your horizons of what’s out there.
Even though the social aspect is at the heart of this app, there is so much more to it than just buying plants. There’s no use buying plants and then not looking after them. Palmstreet helps you do exactly that through its ‘Care’ feature. I’ve always loved this part of the Blossom app, and Palmstreet does an equally admirable job of it too.
Users can add their plants either by name or by taking a photo. The app will automatically identify the plant for you and add it to your collection. From there, you answer questions about your plant’s location and environment before being given a customized care schedule with reminders.
Every plant added is also visible to the Palmstreet community, which can share the love or help you if you need it. This is an incredibly useful part of the app and it helps make it a relational experience. When I added my Devil’s Ivy plant, I was instantly told that there are 8,538 other Palmstreet users who were on hand to answer questions about that plant. I took a video of my plant, wrote out my question, and shared it with the world. Help was at my fingertips.
If you don’t have the luxury of a reliable and inspiring plant shop nearby or you’re just looking for an app-based alternative, Palmstreet is well worth a look. It’s free to use and will open you up to a community of like-minded people ready and willing to connect with you.
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paulo.n.hatton@gmail.com (Paul Hatton)
