Adding areas and shapes, how to draw on your map

Why this matters

Drawing is where your map starts to make sense.

Areas organise your garden into clear zones.
Shapes add visual detail, such as beds, paths, or highlights.

Once you understand both, your map becomes more than points. It becomes a working layout of how your garden is structured and used.

In short

Areas define structure, shapes add visual detail
Open Draw on Map from the sidebar or by double-clicking the map
Give it a name, choose a shape type, then draw directly on the map
Finish with a second click or double-click (depending on shape)

Areas vs shapes

Areas

Purpose: Organise your garden into zones
Structure: Hierarchical (Area → Sub-Area → Micro-Area)
Level choice: Automatic, based on where you draw
Styling: Fixed purple
Shape types: Rectangle, Polygon, Circle
Overlap rules: Controlled (see below)

Shapes

Purpose: Add visual annotations, outlines, or paths
Structure: Flat (no hierarchy)
Level choice: Not applicable
Styling: Custom colours, stroke, opacity
Shape types: Rectangle, Polygon, Circle, Path
Overlap rules: No restrictions

Understanding areas

Areas define the structure of your garden.

They represent zones such as the whole garden, beds, or smaller sections
They form a hierarchy automatically based on where you draw
Plants and landmarks inherit their Area, Sub-Area, or Micro-Area from location

How hierarchy is assigned

You do not choose the level manually. The app decides based on placement:

Draw outside everything → becomes a top-level Area
Draw inside an Area → becomes a Sub-Area
Draw inside a Sub-Area → becomes a Micro-Area

Important:
To get the correct level, draw fully inside the intended parent.
If most of your shape sits outside, it may be assigned the wrong level.

Understanding shapes

Shapes are visual tools.

They do not affect hierarchy
They do not assign area labels to plants
They are used for beds, paths, highlights, or annotations
You control their appearance (colour, line, opacity)

Good to know
Paths are shapes, not areas. You cannot draw an area using the Path type.

Area boundaries, containment, and overlap

This is the most important concept to understand before drawing.

Key rules

Must Stay Inside Parent

Areas: Yes (Sub-Areas and Micro-Areas)
Shapes: No

Can Overlap Same Level

Areas: No
Shapes: Yes

Automatic Correction

Areas: Yes (snap, clip, adjust)
Shapes: Not needed

Parent containment

Sub-Areas must stay within their parent Area
Micro-Areas must stay within their parent Sub-Area

If you draw across the boundary:

The app will adjust the shape on save or edit
It may clip or move edges slightly
You may notice the final shape is not exactly where you clicked

This is expected behaviour.

Same-level overlap (areas only)

Areas at the same level should not overlap:

Two top-level Areas must not overlap
Two Sub-Areas in the same parent must not overlap
Two Micro-Areas in the same parent must not overlap

If overlap occurs:

The app nudges or snaps shapes apart
It does not block saving
You may see a slight shift after finishing or editing

Good to know

Top-level overlaps are usually corrected immediately
Sub-Area and Micro-Area overlaps are often corrected during editing
It is still best to leave small gaps between neighbouring beds
If you drag an Area, its children move with it.
If you drag a Sub-Area its Micro-Areas move with it.

Shapes are different

Shapes:

Can overlap freely
Can sit across multiple areas
Do not follow any of the area overlap rules

How to start drawing

A. Double-click the map

Double-click an empty area
The Add to Map panel opens
Choose Draw New Area or Draw Shape

B. From the sidebar

Open the Areas or Shapes tab
Click the dark green add/draw button

Draw on Map panel

Both methods open the same panel.

Choose: Area or Shape
Enter a Name
Select a Shape Type

The draw button stays disabled until required fields are completed.

Set up before you draw

For areas

Area Name (required)
Shape Type: Rectangle, Polygon, Circle

Areas always appear in purple.

Optional:

Add photos (on supported plans, after saving)

For shapes

Shape Name (required)
Shape Type: Rectangle, Polygon, Circle, Path

Then customise:

Fill colour and opacity
Stroke colour and width

Paths use stroke only (no fill).

How to draw on the map

Polygon

Draw by clicking each corner point.
Finish by double-clicking.

Path

Draw by clicking points along the line.
Finish by double-clicking.

Rectangle

Draw by clicking one corner and then the opposite corner.

Circle

Draw by clicking the centre and then again for the radius.

What happens when you finish

After finishing:

The feature is saved to your workspace
It appears immediately on the map
It is selected in the sidebar

From the details panel you can:

Edit name and description
Adjust visibility (public/private)
Add photos (areas on supported plans)
Manage custom attributes

Good to know: Plant counts

Both Areas and Shapes automatically track how many plants fall inside them.

Counts are automatic, not manual. They are calculated from plant map positions.
When plants are added, moved, or removed, counts update over time in the background.
A plant is counted if its map pin sits inside the boundary. Only plants with a valid location are included.

Where counts appear

Areas (Area, Sub-Area, Micro-Area)
- Shown in the Areas sidebar list (for example, Plants 12)
- Displayed in the details panel as Plant Count
Shapes (Rectangle, Polygon, Circle)
- Shown in the Shapes sidebar list
- Displayed in the details panel as Plant Count
Paths
- Do not count plants
- Always show 0 and do not display Plant Count in the details panel

How to interpret counts

Areas define structure. Plant Area, Sub-Area, and Micro-Area labels come from area nesting, not shapes.
Shapes are useful for counting plants inside a bed, border, or highlighted space you have drawn.
A plant can be counted in more than one feature if boundaries overlap (for example, inside both a Sub-Area and a bed shape).
Nested areas will often share counts. A plant inside a Micro-Area is usually also inside its parent Sub-Area and Area. Each level reports its own total.

Tip
Draw areas for structure and labelling. Use closed shapes when you want a clear visual boundary and a plant tally for a specific bed or border. Place plants accurately on the map so counts stay meaningful.

Editing on the map

You can refine any feature:

Select it on the map
Drag handles or vertices
Save or Discard the changes

Measurements

Helpful values may appear:

Areas: size and perimeter
Shapes: area or length
Paths: length

All measurements are approximate guides only.

Practical drawing workflow

A simple approach works best:

Draw roughly at normal zoom
- Focus on getting the structure right
- Place areas clearly inside their parent
Zoom in and refine
- Adjust edges and corners
- Keep boundaries clean and inside parents
Add shapes last
- Draw paths, borders, and highlights
- Do not worry about overlap
Add plants and landmarks
- They will automatically inherit area labels
Review in the Spreadsheet
- Check structure and organisation

Tip
Zooming in helps avoid small placement errors that can affect hierarchy or boundary behaviour.

Filtering and visibility

Use the sidebar to control what you see.

Areas tab

Filter by level (Area, Sub-Area, Micro-Area)
Search by name
Adjust opacity

Shapes tab

Filter by type
Adjust visibility and opacity

Plants and Landmarks

Filter by Area to focus on specific zones

Public maps and export

New features are private by default
You can set them to public depending on your plan

Export options (via Spreadsheet):

CSV
XLSX
GeoJSON

Import for areas and shapes is not available yet.

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

Drew outside the parent
→ Redraw fully inside to get the correct level
Wrong hierarchy level
→ Check where most of the shape sits
Sibling areas overlapping
→ Leave small gaps between neighbouring beds
Polygon or area “jumped” after finishing
→ The app adjusted it to fit rules (normal behaviour)
Confused areas with shapes
→ Areas organise, shapes annotate
Double-click finished too early
→ Happens when placing points quickly

Closing checklist

Chosen the correct feature type (Area or Shape)
Entered a name and selected a shape type
Drawn fully inside the intended parent (for areas)
Leave space between neighbouring areas
Finished the drawing correctly
Checked the feature in the sidebar
Added plants or landmarks if needed

Quick reference

Polygon - best for irregular beds and borders
Rectangle - quick straight-edged zones
Circle - simple round areas or highlights
Path - lines for routes, edges, or features

Closing

Drawing areas and shapes brings structure and clarity to your map.

Start simple. Build gradually. Refine as you go.

With a clear structure in place, your map becomes a reliable guide to how your garden is organised and how it evolves over time.