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Scan Your Smartphone in the Gardens This Spring!

This spring many QR codes—two-dimensional bar codes that store information such as web addresses—will be sprouting up around the garden to feed your iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, and other Smartphones exciting information about Longwood’s Champion Trees and containers in the Idea Garden (QR code example is shown to left).

These tiny black-and-white square bar codes may look like nothing extraordinary, but their capabilities of storing information, and automatically linking users to a particular website page, will make it easier than ever for us to share more information onsite with our visitors.

“By launching the use of QR codes in the Gardens visitors will be able to easily and instantly access additional information about a particular tree or flower without having to search for the information on their own—the QR code and linking URL have been chosen by our team of horticulturists to provide the best information possible,” says Jen Fazekas, new media strategist.

Longwood Gardens uses QR codes on printed pieces, such as the Visitor Map & Guide, but this spring season will mark the first time they will be used on signs in the Gardens.

“Our first campaign will highlight Longwood’s Champion Trees,” says Fazekas, “When visitors scan the QR codes they will be taken directly to that particular tree’s information page on www.plantexplorer.com.”

Fazekas foresees that if visitors readily use and share positive reactions with Longwood Gardens about the QR codes, this will be the first of many seasons they are used.

Additionally, in mid-May QR codes will be printed on many mixed-flower containers in the Idea Garden.

“In this case, we’re linking visitors to a specific page on longwoodgardens.org so they can take our container ideas home with them. The linking pages will give people the opportunity to see what flowers our gardeners used and how to recreate the display at home,” says Fazekas.

Get your Smartphone QR code ready! What you need to do before you visit Longwood:
Before you arrive at Longwood Gardens, you’ll want to download an QR reader app for your phone. Once you’re in your application center or market on your phone, search for “barcode scanner” or "QR code scanner" and download any of the free QR readers or barcode scanner applications.

How to scan a QR code with your Smartphone:
When you see the QR codes, and want to know where they link to, simply launch your QR code reader or scanner application on your phone. Move your phone towards the code, but allow enough distance from your Smartphone’s camera so it can focus on the QR code. When the QR code is successfully read, you will be notified that a URL is found.