I was so happy to discover that there’s an iPad/iPhone version of the heavy, moisture-sensitive but invaluable resource for Western gardeners, the Sunset Western Garden Book. Sunset has teamed up with Inkling to create the digital version of the New Western Garden Book.
I first tried downloading it to my iPhone 4S, but apparently, I lack sufficient storage on my phone. It’ll probably work and fit better when I upgrade to the iPhone 5 with more storage. It did download to my iPad and from what I can see so far, it’s going to be a useful tool at my nursery job and at home. You can search, highlight, take notes, bookmark plants, and there are features that are included in the app that are not in the book.
The app is also compatible with PC and Mac, and includes bonus content such as regional gardening calendars and Inkling-only plant listings. Not to mention, you can share WGB plant entries by e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and a simple hyperlink. This makes me positively giddy.
I do now have an electronic device (smart phone) to do this, but what a wonderful idea! The Western Garden remains on of my most valuable books.
I imagine smart phones are going to change the plant identification process somewhat. I was speaking to a friend about this the other day and we decided the ultimate would be a phone that you could use to ID plants by DNA testing.
Wow. This is great to learn!