diff --git a/web/src/editor/SeedTray.tsx b/web/src/editor/SeedTray.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbfe6f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/editor/SeedTray.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import { cn } from '@/lib/cn'
+import { PlantIcon } from '@/components/plants/PlantIcon'
+import type { Plant } from '@/lib/plants'
+
+/**
+ * The Seed Tray strip in the focus-mode toolbar: a row of the garden's
+ * kept-at-hand plants. Tap a chip to arm that plant for tap-to-place (the armed
+ * chip is highlighted); ✕ removes it from the tray; the trailing "+ Plant" chip
+ * opens the full catalog picker. See useSeedTray for persistence.
+ */
+export function SeedTray({
+  trayPlants,
+  armedPlantId,
+  onArm,
+  onRemove,
+  onOpenPicker,
+}: {
+  trayPlants: Plant[]
+  armedPlantId: number | null
+  onArm: (plant: Plant) => void
+  onRemove: (id: number) => void
+  onOpenPicker: () => void
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-1.5">
+      {trayPlants.map((p) => {
+        const active = p.id === armedPlantId
+        return (
+          <span
+            key={p.id}
+            className={cn(
+              'inline-flex items-center rounded-full border text-xs transition-colors',
+              active ? 'border-accent bg-accent/10 text-accent-strong' : 'border-border bg-surface text-fg',
+            )}
+          >
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={() => onArm(p)}
+              aria-pressed={active}
+              title={active ? `Placing ${p.name}` : `Place ${p.name}`}
+              className="flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-full py-1 pl-1.5 pr-1 outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-accent/40"
+            >
+              <PlantIcon color={p.color} icon={p.icon} className="h-5 w-5 rounded-full text-[0.65rem]" />
+              <span className="max-w-[6rem] truncate font-medium">{p.name}</span>
+            </button>
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={() => onRemove(p.id)}
+              aria-label={`Remove ${p.name} from tray`}
+              className="rounded-full px-1.5 py-1 text-muted outline-none hover:text-fg focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-accent/40"
+            >
+              ✕
+            </button>
+          </span>
+        )
+      })}
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        onClick={onOpenPicker}
+        className="inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-full border border-dashed border-border px-2.5 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-muted outline-none transition-colors hover:border-accent hover:text-accent-strong focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-accent/40"
+      >
+        + Plant
+      </button>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/objects.ts b/web/src/lib/objects.ts
index e97b0be..a8da090 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/objects.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/objects.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@
 // PATCH with the row version; a 409 rolls back to the server's current row and
 // toasts (see DESIGN § Sync).
 
+import { useCallback } from 'react'
 import { queryOptions, useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient, type QueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query'
 import { z } from 'zod'
 import { ApiError, api } from './api'
 import { gardenSchema } from './gardens'
-import { plantSchema } from './plants'
+import { plantSchema, type Plant } from './plants'
 import { serverPlantingSchema, type ServerPlanting } from './plantings'
 import { toast } from '@/components/ui/toast'
 import type { EditorObject, ObjectShapeKind } from '@/editor/types'
@@ -77,6 +78,24 @@ export function useGardenFull(gardenId: number) {
   return useQuery(gardenFullQueryOptions(gardenId))
 }
 
+/**
+ * Ensure a plant is present in the /full cache's `plants` list. The full payload
+ * carries only the garden's *referenced* plants (ListReferencedPlants), so a
+ * plant chosen from the full catalog but not yet placed here is absent — its
+ * plops would render without an icon/color until the next refetch. Call this
+ * when arming/placing such a plant so it renders immediately. No-op if present.
+ */
+export function useEnsurePlantInFull(gardenId: number) {
+  const qc = useQueryClient()
+  return useCallback(
+    (plant: Plant) =>
+      patchFullCache(qc, gardenId, (full) =>
+        full.plants.some((p) => p.id === plant.id) ? full : { ...full, plants: [...full.plants, plant] },
+      ),
+    [qc, gardenId],
+  )
+}
+
 // --- mutations -------------------------------------------------------------
 
 export interface ObjectCreate {
diff --git a/web/src/lib/seedTray.ts b/web/src/lib/seedTray.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8db0347
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/seedTray.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+// The Seed Tray: a small, deliberately-curated set of plants a gardener keeps at
+// hand while planting a bed, so repeat placement is a single tap instead of a
+// trip through the full catalog. It's a per-garden convenience, persisted in
+// localStorage (same rationale as the PlantPicker's "recent plants"): a nicety,
+// not authoritative state, so a quota/availability failure is swallowed.
+//
+// Only plant ids are stored; they resolve against the live catalog on read, so a
+// renamed plant stays current and a deleted one silently drops out of the tray.
+
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { usePlants, type Plant } from './plants'
+
+const KEY = (gardenId: number) => `pansy:seed-tray:${gardenId}`
+const TRAY_MAX = 24 // a working set, not a catalog; caps pathological growth
+
+function loadIds(gardenId: number): number[] {
+  try {
+    const v: unknown = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(KEY(gardenId)) ?? '[]')
+    const ids = Array.isArray(v) ? v.filter((n): n is number => typeof n === 'number') : []
+    return ids.slice(-TRAY_MAX) // honor the cap even if storage was hand-edited
+  } catch {
+    return []
+  }
+}
+
+function saveIds(gardenId: number, ids: number[]) {
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(KEY(gardenId), JSON.stringify(ids))
+  } catch {
+    // The tray is a convenience; ignore quota/availability failures.
+  }
+}
+
+export interface SeedTrayState {
+  /** Tray plants in insertion order, resolved against the live catalog. */
+  trayPlants: Plant[]
+  /** Add a plant to the end of the tray (no-op if already present; when the tray
+   *  is full the oldest entry is evicted). */
+  add: (plant: Plant) => void
+  /** Remove a plant from the tray. */
+  remove: (id: number) => void
+}
+
+/** Per-garden Seed Tray backed by localStorage and the plant catalog. */
+export function useSeedTray(gardenId: number): SeedTrayState {
+  const plants = usePlants()
+  const [ids, setIds] = useState<number[]>(() => loadIds(gardenId))
+
+  // Re-read when switching gardens (the route param changes without remounting).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setIds(loadIds(gardenId))
+  }, [gardenId])
+
+  const byId = useMemo(() => new Map((plants.data ?? []).map((p) => [p.id, p])), [plants.data])
+
+  // Resolve ids → plants, dropping any no longer in the catalog; preserve order.
+  const trayPlants = useMemo(
+    () => ids.map((id) => byId.get(id)).filter((p): p is Plant => !!p),
+    [ids, byId],
+  )
+
+  const add = useCallback(
+    (plant: Plant) =>
+      setIds((prev) => {
+        if (prev.includes(plant.id)) return prev
+        const next = [...prev, plant.id].slice(-TRAY_MAX)
+        saveIds(gardenId, next)
+        return next
+      }),
+    [gardenId],
+  )
+
+  const remove = useCallback(
+    (id: number) =>
+      setIds((prev) => {
+        const next = prev.filter((x) => x !== id)
+        saveIds(gardenId, next)
+        return next
+      }),
+    [gardenId],
+  )
+
+  return { trayPlants, add, remove }
+}
diff --git a/web/src/pages/GardenEditorPage.tsx b/web/src/pages/GardenEditorPage.tsx
index e688beb..77ef159 100644
--- a/web/src/pages/GardenEditorPage.tsx
+++ b/web/src/pages/GardenEditorPage.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { Inspector } from '@/editor/Inspector'
 import { PlopInspector } from '@/editor/PlopInspector'
 import { PlantPicker } from '@/editor/PlantPicker'
 import { Palette } from '@/editor/Palette'
+import { SeedTray } from '@/editor/SeedTray'
 import { ClearBedModal } from '@/editor/ClearBedModal'
 import { EditorHint } from '@/editor/EditorHint'
 import { objectDisplayName } from '@/editor/kinds'
@@ -14,8 +15,10 @@ import { useEditorStore } from '@/editor/store'
 import type { EditorGarden } from '@/editor/types'
 import { ShareGardenModal } from '@/components/gardens/ShareGardenModal'
 import { useMe } from '@/lib/auth'
-import { toEditorObject, useGardenFull, useUpdateObject, useUpdatePlanting } from '@/lib/objects'
+import { toEditorObject, useEnsurePlantInFull, useGardenFull, useUpdateObject, useUpdatePlanting } from '@/lib/objects'
 import { toEditorPlanting } from '@/lib/plantings'
+import type { Plant } from '@/lib/plants'
+import { useSeedTray } from '@/lib/seedTray'
 import { usePageTitle } from '@/lib/usePageTitle'
 
 const routeApi = getRouteApi('/gardens/$gardenId')
@@ -43,6 +46,8 @@ export function GardenEditorPage() {
 
   const updatePlanting = useUpdatePlanting(gid)
   const updateObject = useUpdateObject(gid)
+  const ensurePlant = useEnsurePlantInFull(gid)
+  const { trayPlants, add: addToTray, remove: removeFromTray } = useSeedTray(gid)
 
   // Which plant-picker flow is open: 'place' arms a plant for repeat placement;
   // 'change' swaps the selected plop's plant.
@@ -231,10 +236,30 @@ export function GardenEditorPage() {
   const selectedPlop = plantings.find((p) => p.id === selectedPlantingId) ?? null
   const focusedPlops = focusedObjectId != null ? plantings.filter((p) => p.objectId === focusedObjectId) : []
 
-  function onPickPlant(plantId: number) {
+  // Arm a plant for tap-to-place. The full catalog carries plants not yet in this
+  // garden's /full payload, so make sure the chosen one is in the cache first —
+  // otherwise its placed plops render without an icon/color until a refetch.
+  function armPlant(plant: Plant) {
+    ensurePlant(plant)
+    setArmedPlant(plant)
+  }
+
+  // Removing the armed plant from the tray also disarms it, so placement doesn't
+  // silently continue for a plant the user just cleared out.
+  function removeFromTrayAndDisarm(id: number) {
+    removeFromTray(id)
+    if (armedPlant?.id === id) setArmedPlant(null)
+  }
+
+  // The picker hands back the full Plant (from the whole catalog), so use it
+  // directly rather than re-resolving against the garden's referenced-plant map —
+  // a not-yet-placed plant isn't in that map, which used to silently abort the
+  // pick (nothing armed, picker left open). Picking (place OR change) makes sure
+  // the plant renders and drops it into this garden's tray for quick reuse.
+  function onPickPlant(plant: Plant) {
     if (!canEdit) return // defense in depth: viewers can't reach the picker anyway
-    const plant = plantsById.get(plantId)
-    if (!plant) return
+    ensurePlant(plant)
+    addToTray(plant)
     if (picker === 'change' && selectedPlop) {
       updatePlanting.mutate({ id: selectedPlop.id, version: selectedPlop.version, plantId: plant.id })
     } else {
@@ -268,26 +293,33 @@ export function GardenEditorPage() {
             </button>
             <span className="max-w-[8rem] truncate text-muted">{objectDisplayName(focusedObject)}</span>
             {canEdit &&
-              (!focusedObject.plantable ? (
-                <span className="text-xs text-muted">Not plantable</span>
-              ) : armedPlant ? (
-                <Button variant="ghost" className="px-2 py-1 text-xs" onClick={() => setArmedPlant(null)}>
-                  Placing {armedPlant.icon} — Done
-                </Button>
+              (focusedObject.plantable ? (
+                <>
+                  <SeedTray
+                    trayPlants={trayPlants}
+                    armedPlantId={armedPlant?.id ?? null}
+                    onArm={armPlant}
+                    onRemove={removeFromTrayAndDisarm}
+                    onOpenPicker={() => setPicker('place')}
+                  />
+                  {armedPlant && (
+                    <Button variant="ghost" className="px-2 py-1 text-xs" onClick={() => setArmedPlant(null)}>
+                      Done
+                    </Button>
+                  )}
+                  {focusedPlops.length > 0 && (
+                    <Button
+                      variant="ghost"
+                      className="px-2 py-1 text-xs text-red-600 dark:text-red-400"
+                      onClick={() => setClearing(true)}
+                    >
+                      Clear ({focusedPlops.length})
+                    </Button>
+                  )}
+                </>
               ) : (
-                <Button className="px-2 py-1 text-xs" onClick={() => setPicker('place')}>
-                  + Add plant
-                </Button>
+                <span className="text-xs text-muted">Not plantable</span>
               ))}
-            {canEdit && focusedObject.plantable && focusedPlops.length > 0 && (
-              <Button
-                variant="ghost"
-                className="px-2 py-1 text-xs text-red-600 dark:text-red-400"
-                onClick={() => setClearing(true)}
-              >
-                Clear ({focusedPlops.length})
-              </Button>
-            )}
           </div>
         )}
         <GardenCanvas garden={garden} objects={objects} plantings={plantings} plantsById={plantsById} canEdit={canEdit} />
@@ -297,7 +329,7 @@ export function GardenEditorPage() {
           <EditorHint>Pick a shape from the palette, then tap the field to place your first bed.</EditorHint>
         )}
         {canEdit && focusedObject?.plantable && focusedPlops.length === 0 && !armedPlant && (
-          <EditorHint position="top">Tap “+ Add plant”, then tap inside the bed to place plops.</EditorHint>
+          <EditorHint position="top">Pick a plant from the tray, then tap inside the bed to place it.</EditorHint>
         )}
       </div>
 
@@ -335,7 +367,7 @@ export function GardenEditorPage() {
         <PlantPicker
           unit={garden.unitPref}
           onClose={() => setPicker(null)}
-          onSelect={(p) => onPickPlant(p.id)}
+          onSelect={onPickPlant}
         />
       )}