Garden gadgets - smart pebble

If your houseplants are looking a bit worse for wear after a long winter blasted by cold draughts and central heating, consider investing in an AI-powered green gadget to help keep a closer eye on their wellbeing.

There’s a growing market for tech which monitors moisture and plant health, such as Elho’s smart pebble, which acts as your very own plant whisperer.  Nestle the discreet monitor in a plant pot and pair it with an app on your phone to receive care updates.  Once you’ve told the pebble which species it’s looking after (you can even give your plant a name!) it will check water, nutrition, temperature and light and send notifications as reminders to take action or alerts if anything is amiss.

You can even ask for specific advice from the AI chatbot, which provides information from an extensive plant library.

The device itself is styled to look like a pebble - hence the name - and is a natural, earthy brown colour; there’s a light which flashes occasionally to let you know when there’s a notification or if it needs charging.  As an easy-to-use and information-packed plant care tool, it’s a fun accessory for gadget lovers or anyone who wants some extra help with a fussy plant.