Growing a few native plants or a pocket prairie is easy with this interactive step-by-step gardening guide from Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation's Pollinators & Prairies program. The mission to support pollinators & restore prairies in Texas starts here!
What does the app offer?
- A curated database of native plant recommendations based on your local climate & weather conditions
- In-app interactive landscape design
- Step-by-step preparation and planting instructions from plant selection to soil preparation to water & pruning
- Watering, upcoming freeze conditions, pruning & other caretaking reminders
- Curated seed mix recommendations for planting a pocket prairie
- Pocket prairie planting & caretaking instructions
- Info about the pollinator species your new plants are likely to attract
- Tips & supplemental info from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, Texas Native Plant Society, and other trusted sources
Getting started
This app is made for people living in Texas, U.S. It's free to use, thanks to our sponsors H-E-B Our Texas, Our Future and Phillips 66. We'll walk you through the process of learning to grow native plants, beginning with asking questions about your available space, light conditions, and soil moisture. Once you've designed your space, Wild Thumb will guide you through planting, caring for, and tracking your growing progress. Happy native gardening!
Why plant natives?
- Native plants are low-maintenance and easy to care for once established
- Native plants require much less water than non-native plants
- Native plants support thriving pollinator populations that contribute to local food & wildlife systems
- Native plants are hardier & more resilient than non-natives
- Native plants are naturally beautiful!
I sent a previous review that I want to change. I did figure out that I could see the plants. I thought I was going to be forced to do some project that I wasn’t ready to do before getting deeper into the app. I’m going to spend a bit more time on the app before further review - perhaps I just haven’t figured out everything in navigating it. One thing though - I thought the app was faulty because it took hours for the confirmation email to arrive before I could even look at it.
Developer Response
Thank you for trying out the app and providing your honest feedback. Wild Thumb will keep growing, with more plants and features on the way! We are aware of the email verification issue and have fixed the bug. If you run into any more technical issues, please reach out to support@pollinatorsandprairies.org.
Blind and vision impaired people like gardening also.
SuperStarEars
I heard about your app on NPR this morning and downloaded it. Already, I found that your app is not fully accessible to screen reader users. Of course my vision impairment won’t change the fact that I can’t see pictures of plants as well as other people, but the check boxes in your set up cannot be recognized with VoiceOver on my iPhone. I had to turn VoiceOver off and get assistance to check the boxes that apply. Also, the buttons at the bottom of the screen do not say what their function is. When I click on them, my iPhone just says “button” and won’t say what the button does. When will app developers get it through their heads that their apps need to be checked out with all accessibility features so that they work as well as possible for everyone? I’m honestly tired of writing app developers about this issue and I’m tired of being left out because they won’t use the correct technology to program the app to be fully accessible or as accessible as possible. Will you please fix these issues. If you do, I will update this review.
Great Planning App for Texas Gardeners!
SunDevil86
I love this little app, it packs a big punch! I’ve used it to layout and install new garden beds from start to finish, find nurseries in my area, and just get general gardening advice. One of my favorite things about the robust plan layout is that the plants appear on the plan according to their nature footprint. So helpful to avoid overplanting. Looking forward to future releases that might include some of our wonderful small native trees like kidneywood, Texas black persimmon, and Anacacho orchid in the database.
Great app
Jen Oct
Love this app so far! The only issue I have is that I can’t figure out how to add a second project. It has instructions to tap a plus sign but I see no plus sign in the upper right corner for creating a second project (only when creating the first project). Thanks for any advice.
Developer Response
So glad you're loving Wild Thumb! To create another Project, please tap the center icon at the bottom of your screen (looks like a shovel and a flower) to navigate to the Projects page. That will bring you to a list of your Projects. From there, tap the plus sign (+) in the top right to create a new Project. If you're still having trouble please email support@pollinatorsandprairies.org and we will offer further assistance.
Recent digital pruning and weeding to improve the Wild Thumb experience:
- App store policy compliance updates
- Improved Seed Mix experience
- Enhanced reliability & performance
- Various under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements
Happy planting!
Version 3.0.0
The developer, Pollinators and Prairies, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Identifiers
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS, INC.
Size
82.7 MB
Category
Lifestyle
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15.1 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
