Candide Gardening App Closes
Image: Candide
Candide, a dedicated social networking app for plant and garden-lovers, will be consigned to the compost heap when it closes next month (December 2023).
The app, which used cutting-edge tech to offer free plant identification, along with plant care advice and videos, stood out from giant social platforms such as X (Twitter) and Instagram because its green-fingered community could only share garden-related content.
In a statement, Candide said: “Since our inception in 2017, it has been Candide’s mission to use technology for the benefit of gardeners and the gardening industry. You’re probably aware that little has changed on Candide in the last year, and the app is no longer available to download.”
It added: “Candide’s business has changed dramatically since those days and we no longer have the team or resources to build or maintain a social network. Therefore, we’ve sadly taken the decision to shut down the Candide app from 7 December 2023.
“We’d like to thank you for your support over the years and wish you all the best in your future gardening endeavours.”
Last year, Candide clinched top position in Country Living’s guide to 20 best gardening apps and plant identifiers. The magazine praised the app’s ability to let users “share their garden highs and lows”.
Candide offered a host of free gardening advice, with features including ’10 houseplants that are actually easy to keep alive’ and ‘Plants which can thrive in low light’. Users could ‘dig’ (like) other gardeners’ social posts and discuss topical horticultural issues.
The desktop version of Candide has disappeared, too, with the website directing visitors to download the app for The Newt, a luxury hotel in Somerset surrounded by formal gardens that have been crafted by world-renowned designers including Penelope Hobhouse.
In late 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society announced that The Newt would sponsor the RHS Chelsea Flower show for the next four years. The Newt is famous for its Produce Garden, which showcases more than 350 varieties of fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Candide users should not be disappointed by the app’s demise, however, because they’ll find all the tips and expert advice they need to succeed with the world’s greatest hobby here at Garden.help.