Tools To Create A Landscaping Plan

You can’t redesign a yard without first coming up with a landscaping plan. From professionals doing major landscaping to the amateur who wants to do small projects their backyard, here’s a look at some of the software out there to help you create a landscaping plan on your computer.

For a top ten list of programs available, visit sites like landscaping-software-review.toptenreviews.com, which lists (as should be obvious) the top ten landscaping design software titles currently available. For the professional, the top title listed was Master Landscape Pro & Home Design.

This piece of software allows the user to create architectural drawings and 3D renderings, which will allow you to “walk” through your design and examine your landscaping plans in detail. You can even create AVI movies, and this feature-rich program retails for around $79.95. Although the program is certainly affordable, it might be too complicated for the average homeowner to use.

For The Home Gardener

A more suitable choice for the non-professional is Imagine Pro, which allows users to take digital photographs of their home to create photo-realistic before and after images of their yard. The downside is that there are no 3D features, but it allows you to immediately get an idea of how your future garden might look.

For someone who finds 2D landscaping plans difficult to visualize as finished products, this is ideal. Imagine Pro retails for around $39.95. Please visit the site to take a look at their top-ten list of programs for other choices.

Now that you’ve found a piece of software, it’s time to come up with a landscaping plan of your own. Depending on the size of your yard, you may not have much space. Take that into consideration when considering what trees you want, and how many of them you’re going to get. For example, getting dwarf conifers might be a better choice than a regular spruce you might not have room for.

Other things to keep in mind are your climate. If you’re in the Southwest, you might want to go with xeriscaping and use succulents like cacti in your garden instead of water-thirsty plants. In colder climates, you might be able to create an alpine garden with cold-loving plants and do creative things like planting in walls or recreating an alpine slope and so forth.

Make sure that plants you like aren’t considered noxious weeds or pests. For example, the Australian fern has been used in landscaping in Hawaii but now threatens some native species of ferns and can outcompete them in their native habitat. As long as you avoid pests such as these, you’ll have fun coming up with your own landscaping plan for your yard.