How Your Plans Are Made

Language Model

Garden plan text — including plant descriptions, care instructions, companion planting notes, and layout suggestions — is generated by Claude, a large language model developed by Anthropic. Claude is trained on a broad range of horticultural, botanical, and agricultural literature.

Horticultural Knowledge Base

Recommendations are grounded in:

• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map data for zone-appropriate plant selection
• Cooperative Extension Service guidelines from land-grant universities
• Companion planting research and integrated pest management (IPM) principles
• Native plant databases for regionally appropriate species
• Traditional and ethnobotanical records for functional and medicinal plant notes

Limitations

AI-generated plans should be treated as informed starting points, not professional advice. The following are outside the scope of automated generation:

• Soil testing or site-specific soil chemistry analysis
• Local microclimate assessment (frost pockets, wind corridors, drainage)
• Precise spacing for your specific bed dimensions
• Medical or clinical claims — any wellness notes use traditional-use language only

Our Recommendation

Cross-reference plant selections with your local Cooperative Extension office or Master Gardener program before committing to a large planting. Conditions vary significantly even within a single USDA zone.