Now, thanks to AI, we really can ‘talk’ to the trees

At this year’s Chelsea Flower Show there is a very special garden that blends nature in all its organic glory with generative AI’s ability to interpret digital data and transform it into everyday language that we can understand.

In short, Avanade’s Intelligent Garden, designed by Tom Massey and architect Je Ahn, enables us to ‘talk’ to trees.

Unobtrusive sensors attached to 12 trees and buried in the soil record data points such as moisture level, acidity, growth rate, temperature, air quality and lean angle, and this data is then translated into natural language using AI.

Via a dedicated Intelligent Garden app, users can ask the trees questions about their health, and the ‘trees’ message back.

For example, I asked a Betula Nigra, or Black Birch, a species native to the Eastern United States: “How are you feeling today?”

“Today, I’m experiencing normal growth and all my conditions are stable,” came the texted reply.

“The temperature, humidity, and soil moisture levels are within acceptable ranges. I’m well-rooted and continuing to establish myself in this urban garden.”

Another tree – a Cornus kousa or dogwood – displayed a warning triangle on the app telling users that it was “currently experiencing low growth”. When I ask why, it suggests that it may need more water given that it is still establishing its roots after being newly planted. Each tree gives answers specific to its species.

Speaking to Massey two days before the opening of the world’s most prestigious garden show, he seems calm despite the flurry of activity around him in what he calls this “urban forest garden”.

Gardeners are busy planting colourful flowers such as Campanula and Iris around a stream-like water feature, while film crews are busy recording interviews.

It seems this unique garden is causing quite a buzz. [The Chelsea Flower Show judges later awarded it a coveted gold medal.]

But this blend of nature and AI is not a gimmick, Massey says, it’s a serious attempt to understand how we can better look after our urban trees – 30% of which die within the first year of being planted because they haven’t been cared for properly. Half die within 10 years, he says.

“The Avanade Intelligent Garden, created in collaboration with myself, architect Je Ahn, Avanade and Microsoft, explores how we can use technology to help us through some of the many crises we face today, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, drought and pollution,” he explains.

Trees planted in public spaces often struggle for a number of reasons, but giving them a means to communicate their condition more effectively to people tasked with maintaining them could significantly enhance their life expectancy, Massey believes.

Given that it takes at least 16 years for a tree to become carbon neutral – that is, to start absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than was released during its production, maintenance and growth to date – “it’s almost a pointless exercise” to continue planting them in urban environments unless we learn to care for them better, he says.

Such technology can also help urban planners and local councils choose the most appropriate species for their area, says Massey, and protect them from vandalism, wind exposure and so on.

Sensor data builds up a detailed picture of the health of the tree, but the specially trained AI, running on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, provides the interface that enables human carers to understand that data much more easily and take appropriate action quickly, thereby “preserving, protecting and prolonging the life of the tree,” says Massey.

Visitors to the garden can also see the tree sensor data displayed inside a sustainably constructed building made of reclaimed ash and containing mycelium – the root-like structure of fungi that can stretch for miles underground and act as a “wood wide web” for plants and trees, enabling them to share recycled nutrients.

It’s another nod to the importance of trees and biodiversity within our ecosystem. The mycelium in this case acts as a natural binding agent in place of glue.

One of those people being interviewed was Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK, who said: “It’s amazing to see how we’re bringing nature and artificial intelligence together so that we can understand the language of nature better, and look after our trees and ecosystems more effectively.

“This really is a fantastic use of technology.”

After the Chelsea Flower Show, the award-winning garden will be relocated to Mayfield Park in the heart of Manchester where it will act as a model for how urban trees should be monitored and cared for.