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Instagram auto-replies for landscapers and garden designers

Instagram DM automation lets a landscaper or garden designer send a plant list, a lawn calendar or design fees to anyone who comments or messages a word such as PLANTS or DESIGN. Planting Reels fill up with “what's that plant?”, and an automatic reply answers every one with the full list while you're out on site.

Updated 6 October 2026

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Comment words for landscapers and garden designers

Ask people to comment one word in your caption or video. Each word sends something different.

PLANTS: The full planting list from the Reel, with botanical names, height, spread, flowering months and whether each plant wants sun or shade.
DESIGN: How your design service works: the survey, the concept plan, the planting plan, the fee for each and how long the whole process takes.
PATIO: Patio materials compared, such as porcelain, sandstone and concrete, with what each needs underneath and how it weathers over the years.
LAWN: A month-by-month lawn calendar: when to feed, when to scarify and aerate, and when to raise the mower in dry weather.
SHADE: Plants for shady corners and for dry shade under trees, sorted by height, with flowering months marked.
MAINTENANCE: Your maintenance visits: how often you come, what each visit covers through the seasons and the monthly price.
BALCONY: Container planting for balconies and roof terraces: pot sizes, compost and plants that cope with wind.
WILDLIFE: A planting list for bees, butterflies and birds, with something in flower from early spring to late autumn.

4 set-ups to try

Each one shows the conversation it creates. After a comment, the first DM is plain text, as Meta requires, and the link follows once they answer.

Plant list from a border Reel
Someone comments on your post
PLANTS
Public reply under their comment
The full list is waiting in your DMs 🌿
First DM (plain text)
Glad you liked the border. Would you like the full list, with botanical names, heights and flowering months, so the garden centre gives you the right plant? Reply here and it's yours.Yes pleasePlant list from the ReelGet the list
Answering each “what's that plant?” by hand can eat an evening. Botanical names matter, because common names vary by region and the wrong plant may grow twice as big. If most commenters garden far from your area, “Only send to followers” (Pro and above) at least turns each request into a follower.
Design enquiries from a winter Story
Replied to your story
DESIGNThanks for replying. Is it the whole garden or one area, and roughly how big is it? Our design process, the fees and the dates we're booking surveys for are all on the page below.Garden design: process and feesSee how it works
Gardens are built in the warmer months, but the designs are drawn before that, so autumn and winter are when next year's build diary fills. A Story reply comes from someone who already follows your work, and since they wrote first, the fees page follows at once.
Patio questions answered with a starting price
PATIOThanks for asking about a patio. Do you know the rough size, and is the ground flat or sloping? Our materials guide and starting prices are below; a site visit then sets the actual figure.Patio materials and pricesCompare materials
Give this reply PATIOS, PAVING and TERRACE as extra words, since matching is by whole word. Slopes, drainage and whether materials must be carried through the house all change the price, so the reply gives a starting point and leaves the real figure to the visit.
Lawn calendar from a lawn-care Reel
Someone comments on your post
LAWN
Public reply under their comment
Calendar's in your inbox, happy mowing
First DM (plain text)
Hi, thanks for the comment. The calendar goes month by month: feeding, scarifying, aerating and mowing heights. Shall I send it? Just reply to this message.Yes pleaseMonth-by-month lawn calendarGet the calendar
Lawns interest people all year, so this freebie keeps working between big projects. Turn on email capture, and a short seasonal email, such as a reminder to stop mowing short in a dry spell, keeps you in mind for when they want regular maintenance.

Freebies worth commenting for

A planting plan for a three-metre border that flowers from spring into autumn
A guide to measuring your garden for a design quote, with a sketch sheet and the photos to take
A list of common garden plants that are poisonous to cats and dogs
A bare-root planting guide for hedges, roses and fruit trees in the dormant months
A drought-tolerant planting list for sunny, dry gardens
A low-maintenance planting plan for people who want a garden but not a hobby
A child-friendly garden checklist: safe plants, soft surfaces and ponds to cover or fence
A garden lighting plan for paths, steps and the places people sit
A first-year aftercare sheet for new planting: watering, mulching and what to expect

What homeowners ask a garden business in DMs

Garden enquiries swing between big projects and small puzzles. One person wants the whole back garden rebuilt; another wants to know why the lawn has gone yellow. Automate the answers that are the same for everyone, and keep the judgement calls.

Question	Automatic answer	Your reply, when
What's that plant in your Reel?	PLANTS, the full list with botanical names	They send a photo of a plant in their own garden
How much for a new patio?	PATIO: materials and starting prices	They send measurements and photos of the site
Do you only design, or build too?	DESIGN, explaining each service and its fee	They already have a design from someone else
Could you come every fortnight?	MAINTENANCE: visits, what's covered, the monthly price	The garden is large or badly overgrown
Why is my lawn going brown?	LAWN, the calendar	They want a diagnosis, which needs a look or a clear photo
Can you cut this tree down?	Nothing automatic	Always: some trees are protected, so check before you quote

Tip: On the Growth and Business plans, AI replies answer other messages from the business information you write. Add the areas you cover, whether you build as well as design, and the months you book surveys, so “are you taking on work for spring?” gets a correct answer.

The garden year, and when to switch each word on

Late winter: a bare garden gets people planning. Have DESIGN and PATIO live before the days lengthen.
Spring: lawns and planting take over. Point LAWN and PLANTS at your latest posts, and have MAINTENANCE ready for people surprised by how fast the grass grows.
Summer: watering, wilting and holidays. A Reel on drought-tolerant planting, with PLANTS for the list, meets the moment.
Autumn: in temperate climates, a good time to plant shrubs and perennials and to sow or repair lawns. Spring bulbs go in now too.
Bare-root season, roughly November to March in the UK, for hedges, roses and fruit trees.

These months fit a temperate northern climate. South of the equator they shift by about six months, and in tropical or monsoon climates planting follows the rains, so set the words by your own seasons.

Posts that earn comments for a garden business

A slow walk along a border in full flower, with PLANTS for the list.
A garden build from drawing to finished space, with DESIGN.
The layers under a patio, from dig-out to sub-base to the final slabs, with PATIO.
A tired lawn brought back over six weeks, with LAWN.
A gloomy corner turned into somewhere worth sitting, with SHADE.
A balcony planted with a handful of pots, with BALCONY.
A border busy with bees in high summer, with WILDLIFE.

Post a garden again a year after handover. New planting looks sparse on the day you finish, and the follow-up shows future clients what to expect while giving you a second post from the same job.

Trees, paving rules and plants to handle with care

Protected trees. In the UK, a tree may be covered by a Tree Preservation Order or stand in a conservation area, and work on it needs the council's consent or advance notice. Many other countries and US cities have their own tree rules, so check before quoting.
Front gardens in England. Paving more than five square metres of a front garden with a surface that water can't soak through usually needs planning permission, unless the rain runs off to a lawn or border.
Digging. In the US, call 811 a few days before you dig so buried lines can be marked. Elsewhere, ask the utility companies for their plans.
Plants and pets. Some popular plants are poisonous to animals; lilies, for example, are dangerous to cats. Flag them on your plant lists, and check which plants are invasive in your region before recommending them.
Honest promises. Plants die, lawns take a season and the weather has the final say. Describe your aftercare and any replacement policy instead of guaranteeing results.
Instagram's rules. Each comment can get one private reply within 7 days. If you stream a garden tour as a Live, comments can only get a private reply while it's running, so set the word up before you start.

Messages to copy

Questions people ask

Can it identify a plant from a customer's photo?

No. Keyword replies only answer the words you set, and AI replies work from the business information you write, so neither can name a plant from a picture. Answer those yourself when you have time, or suggest a good local nursery.

Winter is quiet for us. What's worth automating?

Design enquiries. Winter is when many people plan next year's garden, so a DESIGN Story and a fees page keep the spring diary filling while you're busy with hedges and clear-ups. Ask for an email, so you can send survey dates in the new year.

Can different Reels send different plant lists?

Yes. Set a PLANTS auto-reply on each planting Reel with its own card, so people commenting on a shade border don't get the list from a gravel garden. An auto-reply set on a single post takes priority over one that covers the whole account.

Does it work for a garden designer who doesn't build?

Yes. Nothing here needs a crew. Point the DESIGN card at your fees and survey dates, and say on that page which landscapers you usually work with, or that you're happy to recommend one.

Can clients book a paid garden consultation through DMFast?

Point the card at the booking page you already use. In India, the DMFast store can take free or paid bookings for 1-on-1 calls through Razorpay, which suits a remote consultation: the client books a slot, then walks you round the garden on a video call. DMFast takes no fee on those sales.

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Answer every PLANTS comment in seconds

Pick a post and the word. DMFast replies under each comment, sends the DM and follows with your link once they answer, day and night. It can collect emails on the way. Free plan, no card.

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