Choose one of three approaches. The steps for that option appear below.
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You measure and write the table. Perplexity finds plants with cited pages; you check sources and draw the layout.
Measure, write table
Find candidate plants
Check pages, draw layout
Write checklist
Use: You
Measure the balcony, note sun hours across a day, record gaps, and write the space, light and exposure table.
Check each row comes from a measurement or an observation and gaps are marked.
Use: Perplexity
Paste the table and ask which container plants suit your light, container depth and climate, with a source page for each.
What to paste into the tool
Task: Candidate plants with cited source pages. For each plant give the source page. Say whether the source states the plant is toxic to pets or children. Give no assurance on pesticides, toxicity or building load, and suggest no purchases. Do not resolve conflicts between sources.
Use: You
Open every cited page, check light, climate and pet or child toxicity against it and a second official source, note page dates, draw the layout.
Check each kept plant fits the documented light and space or is flagged, with the page date noted.
Use: You
Write the care checklist and materials list from the pages you read, check materials for safety, and buy or install nothing.
Check toxicity, local growing guidance, building load and rules with official sources; nothing is bought.
Gemini builds the space table from your photos, then lists care questions and materials from your notes. You research plants.
Gather photos, notes
Build space table
Check table, fill gaps
Research, sketch, copy note
List care questions
Check, buy nothing
Use: You
Gather the balcony photos, your measurements, sunlight notes and edible or non-edible preferences.
Use: Gemini
Upload the photos and measurements; ask for a table of usable floor and rail space, sun notes and what is still missing.
What to paste into the tool
Task: Space/light/exposure table with measurement gaps. List usable floor and rail space, sun notes and what I still need to measure. Do not judge building load or rules.
Use: You
Check the table against your measurements, fill the gaps by measuring again, and record where it overreaches.
Check building load and rules with appropriate sources; do not leave them to the table.
Use: You
Research plants on official horticultural or extension pages, note page dates, sketch the layout, and copy chosen plants and source notes into a text note.
Check climate suitability and pet or child toxicity in official pages, with dates noted.
Use: Gemini
Paste the note and ask for care questions to check and a materials list from those notes only.
What to paste into the tool
Task: Care questions and materials list drawn from the notes. Use only the notes pasted here. Add nothing from outside them. Give no assurance on pesticides, toxicity or building load, and suggest no purchases.
Use: You
Check the care questions and materials for safety, strike anything not in your notes, and buy or install nothing.
Check toxicity, local growing guidance, building load and rules with official sources; nothing is bought.
You measure and collect guidance pages. Gemini Notebook answers from those pages with quoted passages; you check and write.
Measure, collect pages
Cited plant fit
Check quotes, draw
Write checklist
Use: You
Measure the balcony, note sun hours, and collect the guidance pages you trust, such as extension service, botanic garden and building rules, noting gaps.
Check each row comes from a measurement or an observation and each link is a page you trust.
Use: Gemini Notebook
Add the guidance pages and your note as sources; ask which listed plants fit your light and container depth, quoting the passage for each.
What to paste into the tool
Task: Candidate plants with cited passages. Using only these sources, say which of the listed plants suit my conditions and quote the passage for each. Say when a source is silent. Give no assurance on pesticides, toxicity or building load. Do not resolve conflicts between sources.
Use: You
Open each quoted passage, check light, climate and toxicity in it and a second official source, note page dates, and draw the layout.
Check each kept plant fits the documented light and space or is flagged, with the page date noted.
Use: You
Write the care checklist and materials list from the quoted passages, check materials for safety, and buy or install nothing.
Check toxicity, local growing guidance, building load and rules with official sources; nothing is bought.
The options differ in who finds the sources (Perplexity, the gardener with Gemini support, or a notebook of the gardener picks). No option is set as primary.
Best when: Finding sources is the hard part
What it does: Perplexity finds cited pages; you measure, check and write
Strong at: Cites and links original sources
Limit: Vendor asks users to double-check sources
Free plan: Yes, limited (Pro Searches 3/day, Research 1/month)
Best when: You want photos turned into a table and pick sources yourself
What it does: Gemini builds tables and lists; you research and check
Strong at: Accepts photo uploads with typed notes
Limit: Rolling upload limits can pause a long photo session
Free plan: Yes, limited
Best when: Answers should stay inside guidance you picked
What it does: Gemini Notebook quotes your pages; you check and write
Strong at: Answers grounded only in sources you chose
Limit: Images, embedded videos and nested pages not imported; paywalled pages unsupported
Free plan: Yes, limited (notebook and source caps per tier)
Before you paste into any AI tool, remove any confidential information. Put it back at the end.
Verify toxicity, local growing guidance, structural load and building rules with official sources.
No purchases or installs from this workflow.
Note the date of each source.
Check the result against your original inputs. Approve it before sharing or acting.