Freedom251 › Landscape Software
Garden Sketchbook
What Garden Sketchbook is
Garden Sketchbook is a web-based garden planner for laying out a garden to scale and previewing it in 3D as the seasons change. Its 2D editor lets you place plants by drag and drop, then view the design in 3D. A seasonal view shows changes to the garden and its color palette over the year. Plant filters include hardiness zone, sunlight, soil, bloom season, color, deer resistance and drought resistance. Plants are sized automatically, and you can trace a floor plan or aerial photo while adding beds, paths and structures. The library includes hundreds of plants with growing details and varieties; custom varieties let you adjust a plant’s size, color and bloom time. It runs in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge without installation. The 2D planner works on any device, while the 3D seasonal view requires WebGL. The free demo requires no account, but gardens expire after 24 hours. Gardener costs $39/yr after a 14-day free trial and saves up to 10 gardens. The free demo’s PDF export is a one-time $9 add-on.
Who it suits
Garden Sketchbook suits beginners and experienced gardeners who want to plan layouts to scale and see seasonal changes. It is also suited to people who want to work from a floor plan or aerial photo.
What it does well
- Plans gardens to scale with automatic plant sizing
- Previews designs in 3D across the seasons
- Filters plants by growing conditions and resistance
- Includes hundreds of plants and custom varieties
- 2D planner works on any device
What to know first
- Free demo gardens expire after 24 hours
- 3D seasonal view requires WebGL
- Free demo PDF export costs a one-time $9
- Gardener costs $39/yr after the free trial
Limits
The free demo’s gardens expire after 24 hours. Gardener costs $39 a year after a 14-day free trial and allows up to 10 gardens.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | No account needed · Gardens expire after 24 hours · 2D editor and 3D seasonal preview · 500+ plant library · Add-on PDF export for $9 | Free |
| Demo | No account · gardens expire after 24 hours · 2D editor · 3D seasonal preview · 500+ plant library · desktop structures · 2D background tracing | Free |
| Gardener | 14-day free trial, then $39/year · Permanent garden storage · up to 10 gardens · garden duplication · unlimited custom plant varieties · unlimited printable plans and shopping lists | $39 a year |
| Demo export add-on | one-time · PDF planting plan and shopping list for the current demo garden only | $9, paid once |
| Studio | TBD; coming soon · Unlimited gardens · client share links · branded PDF exports · supplier fields · plant cost summary export · AI layout suggestions | On request |
As gardensketchbook.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open https://www.gardensketchbook.com/ in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
- Start with the free demo without creating an account.
- Use the 2D editor to arrange plants and draw beds, paths, or structures.
- Trace a floor plan or aerial photo if you want to plan over an existing layout.
- Use the 3D seasonal view in a browser with WebGL support.
- Choose the Gardener plan for permanent garden storage and up to 10 gardens.
Verdict
Garden Sketchbook combines scaled garden planning, plant selection and seasonal previews in a browser-based workspace. The free demo is time-limited for saved gardens, while Gardener saves up to 10 gardens for $39/yr after a 14-day free trial.
Questions
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The free demo costs 0.00 USD, needs no account, and includes the 2D editor, 3D seasonal preview, and 500+ plant library. Gardens expire after 24 hours.
How much does the Gardener plan cost?
It costs $39 a year, billed at $39/year after a 14-day free trial. It allows up to 10 gardens, unlimited custom plant varieties, and unlimited printable plans and shopping lists.
Which devices and browsers does it support?
Garden Sketchbook runs on the web in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge without a download or install. The 2D planner works on any device; the 3D seasonal view requires WebGL.
Can I export a planting plan from the free demo?
Yes. The free demo offers a one-time $9 add-on to download a planting plan and shopping list as a PDF.
Does Garden Sketchbook have a custom plant feature?
Yes. Users can create custom varieties by changing a library plant’s size, color, and bloom time. Gardener includes unlimited custom plant varieties.
How many gardens can I save?
The free demo’s gardens expire after 24 hours. Gardener saves gardens permanently and allows up to 10.
Facts from Garden Sketchbook's own pages
- 2D and 3D design
- Users can arrange plants in a 2D drag-and-drop editor and see the design in 3D. · gardensketchbook.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Account and garden limit
- The free demo requires no account, but gardens expire after 24 hours; the Gardener plan saves gardens permanently and allows up to 10. · gardensketchbook.com, 9 Oct 2026
- API and SDKs
- The Garden Sketchbook pages opened publish no public API, SDK, webhook or developer documentation. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The maker describes the product as suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners. · gardensketchbook.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Automatic saving
- Signed-in gardens save automatically without a Save button. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Browser support
- The app runs in current Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge without downloading software. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Commercial-use restriction
- The terms prohibit commercial use without the maker’s express written consent. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters
- Fablehenge says its team lives in New Brunswick, Canada. · fablehenge.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company origin
- Fablehenge says it began as a hobby project during the pandemic. · fablehenge.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company size
- Fablehenge describes the Garden Sketchbook roadmap as maintained by a one-person development team. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company team
- Fablehenge identifies Jennifer Phillips and Dusty Phillips as its founding team and says Jennifer studied English while Dusty studied computer science. · fablehenge.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Creator
- Jen Phillips is identified as the gardener, developer and creator of Garden Sketchbook. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Custom varieties
- Gardener subscribers can create plant varieties by changing a library plant’s size, color and bloom time. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Data and security terms
- The terms say users retain ownership of their garden designs and grant the maker a limited license to store and display them to provide the service. · gardensketchbook.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Data ownership
- Users retain ownership of garden designs while granting Fablehenge a limited license to store and display them for service delivery. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Demo limit
- Demo gardens remain in the browser session for 24 hours and do not move between devices or browsers. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Developer model
- Fablehenge says the PWA approach lets its small team maintain one application across Android, iOS, ChromeOS, Windows and macOS. · blog.fablehenge.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The maker provides FAQ, quick-start and printing documentation covering workflows, account behavior, device support and export steps. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Export
- The free demo offers a one-time $9 add-on to download a planting plan and shopping list as a PDF. · gardensketchbook.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Independent demo listing
- TryDemo describes the product as a functional browser garden designer with no signup, 2D-to-3D seasonal views and a five-minute-plus interactive session. · trydemo.tech, 15 Oct 2026
- Independent demo score
- TryDemo lists a 95.5/100 demo-fidelity score for Garden Sketchbook. · trydemo.tech, 15 Oct 2026
- Interactive design
- Users drag plants into a 2D layout and see the design update in 3D. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The terms identify the original service content, features and functionality as owned by Fablehenge Software, Inc.; no open-source licence is published. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The site identifies the maker as Fablehenge Software, Inc. · gardensketchbook.com, 15 Oct 2026
Where Garden Sketchbook stands on Freedom251
- Landscape Software#3 of 18
- 3D Landscape Design Software#8 of 30