Smart Plant, the digital app that lets gardeners upload their plant collection and advice on how to care for them, has exceeded its crowdfunding target by 137%

Supported by Tribe First - the first dedicated crowdfunding support agency for start-up and established brands – Smartplant’s campaign attracted more than 300 investors and raised more than £275, 000.

One surprise investor came in the form of renowned celebrity gardener, Diarmuid Gavin.

Commenting on the company’s successful raise, CEO George Williams  said: “Smart Plant's progress this year has been incredible, with the additional funds the app will be able to scale new heights and provide a service to its new partners and consumers that will transform the world of plant retail”

Smart Plant’s barcode-scanning technology allows customers at participating retailers to receive a free premium membership with each plant they buy, receive monthly care advice and chat with over 100 horticultural experts.

Smart Plant, which won the award for New Media of the Year at the recent Garden Media Guild Awards, is also working to help connect retailers with a younger demographic and hopes to engage a new generation of plant lovers, as its 170,000-strong user base consists mostly of 25-35-year-olds.

The technology has attracted partnerships from key players in the global gardening industry including Longacres, the largest independent garden centre in the UK, and Orchard Supply Hardware, owned by Lowe's, the second-largest hardware chain in the US.