A New BotanicBase,
Built the Right Way.
The original app got us here, and we're proud of what it became. But we outgrew its architecture. Rather than patch over the cracks, we're rebuilding from scratch — this time on a foundation that can grow with the app.
What held the old version back
Hardcoded gardens
Every botanical garden — its name, images, description, phone number — was baked directly into the app binary. Adding a single new garden meant writing code, submitting a build, and waiting days for App Store review.
On-premises server
The backend ran on a local machine. If it went down, features stopped working. There was no redundancy, no cloud failover, and no way to scale when traffic spiked.
React Native limitations
The JavaScript bridge between React Native and iOS meant the app never quite felt native. Animations were inconsistent, scrolling wasn't as fluid as it should be, and supporting Android alongside iOS doubled the maintenance burden.
Dependency sprawl
The app depended on 15+ third-party packages — maps, carousels, swipe gestures, UI libraries. Each one was a potential source of breaking changes, security issues, or simply going unmaintained.
What the new version looks like
Truly native
Built entirely in SwiftUI — the same framework Apple uses for its own apps. Every animation, every transition, every interaction is exactly as smooth as you'd expect from an iOS app.
Cloud-connected
Gardens, plants, and content are fetched live from the cloud. We can add a new botanical garden, update care guides, or fix a mistake instantly — no app update required.
Smaller, cleaner codebase
Dropping the JavaScript bridge and most third-party dependencies means a leaner app that is easier to maintain, faster to build, and far less likely to break in unexpected ways.
Better platform integration
SwiftUI gives us first-class access to widgets, Shortcuts, and every future iOS feature Apple ships. React Native always had to wait — or simply couldn't support them.
A note from the team
We're excited to share what we've been building.
It's taking longer because we're doing it right.
The new version is a clean start — rebuilt from scratch with no legacy baggage. It's the same mission, better everything.