Free Plant Inventory Spreadsheet Template (Make It Visual)

Want to keep track of every plant in your yard — what it’s called, where it lives, and what it actually looks like? A spreadsheet works, but a photo-based version you can search is better. Here’s how to do both.

Start with a template (the honest option)

If you just want columns and rows, a plant inventory spreadsheet is easy to find. You can build a plant inventory spreadsheet in Google Sheets with fields like plant name, location, sun needs, and last-watered date. There are also plenty of plant inventory templates on Etsy, and if you prefer desktop, a house plants journal Excel template covers indoor collections too.

Templates are great for text. Where they fall short: photos. Spreadsheets treat images as awkward attachments, and searching “that spiky one by the fence” isn’t really a thing. If what you actually picture is a visual, searchable gallery, that’s worth building instead of forcing into a grid.

Build your own in Auto (a few minutes)

Auto is camera-first. Instead of hunting for the perfect template, you describe the inventory you want and snap photos of your plants — Auto builds you a personal mini-app (a “Frame”) around it.

1. Open Auto and describe your inventory: what you want to track and how you want to see it.
2. Snap a photo of each plant as you walk your yard.
3. Add the name and any details that matter to you — sun, soil, bloom season, whatever fits your garden.
4. Search by name or browse the gallery visually.

Because you built it, the fields are yours. No leftover columns you don’t use, no missing one you need.

How someone built theirs

One Auto user wanted exactly this. They typed a single prompt asking for a visual inventory of their yard with photos and names of each plant in a searchable gallery — and that was essentially it. Auto turned that description into a working Frame they could fill by walking outside and photographing plants one at a time.

The result, which they called Yard Botanica, is proof this isn’t hypothetical: a real, searchable, photo-first plant inventory built from one sentence. Yours would look however you describe it — that’s the point of building your own rather than adapting someone else’s template.

FAQ

Is a spreadsheet or an app better for a plant inventory? A spreadsheet is fine for text-only tracking and sharing. If photos and quick searching matter to you, a visual Frame is easier to actually use in the yard.

Do I need any coding or design skills to build one in Auto? No. You describe what you want in plain language and take photos. Auto handles the structure.

Can I still use my Google Sheets template later? Yes. Nothing stops you from exporting details into a plant inventory spreadsheet in Google Sheets if you want a text backup — the two approaches aren’t mutually exclusive.

How long does building one take? The Frame itself takes a few minutes. After that, the time is just walking around snapping photos — which is the fun part.