Gardens could soon be able to ‘speak’ to people using AI to ask for water and tell them how they are feeling

They say that talking to plants helps them grow – with King Charles being a big believer in this theory.

And soon, plants will ‘talk’ again thanks to AI, allowing gardeners to talk to their plot.

Novice gardeners may wonder what their gardens need – and even how they feel.

The development will be showcased at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show, which will include a garden that can talk back.

The Avanade garden, designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn, will be able to tell gardeners whether it is wise to water (as it will rain later in the day) or whether the water is already moist enough. The garden is in collaboration with Microsoft.

King Charles is an avid horticulturist and strongly believes that communicating with plants can help them

Speaking at an RHS event, Mr Massey said the garden could answer questions such as: ‘How are you feeling? What do you need? Do you need to get water?

“It might reply, ‘I need some more water, maybe I could use a haircut.’

King Charles is an avid horticulturist and strongly believes that communicating with plants can help them.

He first revealed in 1986: ‘I just come and talk to the plants, really important to talk to them, they respond.’

Since then, studies appear to support the suspicion. Plants have been found to ‘respond’ to voice vibrations, which could stimulate their growth.

In Mr Massey’s garden, sensors will be buried in the ground to monitor moisture levels, as well as nutrient levels, acidity and alkalinity.

The ‘relatively cheap’ wireless sensors will communicate with a computer located in a pavilion at the back of the garden.

The Mr Massey technology is being developed especially for the show, but gives an impression of how the gardens of the future will be maintained.

Mr Massey said he expected it would be very useful for gardens in large projects.

In Mr Massey’s garden, sensors will be buried in the ground to monitor moisture levels, as well as nutrient levels, acidity and alkalinity

The Mr Massey technology is being developed especially for the show, but gives an impression of how the gardens of the future will be maintained

“Imagine how much water you could save on a major development if you only used water when necessary,” he said.

“Irrigation systems are turned on at regular intervals to provide water, whether needed or not,” he added.

Visitors to the RHS show can talk to the garden via an app, he added.

Mr Massey said he did not think AI would take “the fun” out of gardening.

“It’s no fun to water a garden for ages if you don’t have to,” he added.

“The AI ​​might tell you, ‘Stop giving me water.’ Go have a drink,” he said.

In the future, vision systems could detect pests and control automation such as robotic lawn mowers, he said.

AI is already having an impact on gardening; several companies offer garden design applications, including ChatGPT.

The Royal Horticultural Society has already developed an AI app to provide gardening advice, called ChatBotanist.