Amazon Alexa just gave plant lovers a neat free boost

If you're a plant lover, you'll likely already know how temperamental they can be. Each variety has different needs, and keeping on top of that can prove to be a mammoth task.

Fortunately, there's now a solution thanks to your Amazon Alexa enabled smart speaker. After teaming up with leading botanist, James Wong, the brand has unveiled a new suite of features to help users keep their green friends alive.

For starters, there's a massive range of questions which users can now ask their Alexa-enabled device. That covers a range of the most popular plants owned by individuals, with a few of the most commonly asked questions per plant.

That's not all, though. Users can also take part in a new routine to help them with their plant maintenance. The routine makes use of existing smart home products – like smart thermostats and smart lighting – to automate some of your care schedule.

That includes a reminder to check in on or water your plants, turn on your lights, turn on your heating to achieve the optimal conditions for your indoor jungle and more. I'm not sure whispering a positive plant affirmation or playing plant-friendly music will have quite the same effect. But hey, who am I to question?

All in all, it's a nifty free upgrade for plant lovers. The integration is simple, but effective, and should make it easier than ever for novice plant parents to get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

The routine function is also pretty nifty. While I'm not convinced that every step is entirely necessary, being able to remind users about key things like watering plants on schedule and using a smart device to create the right temperature for your floral decorations is a really great use of your Amazon Echo or other compatible device.

Users should have access to the new features from today.