Landscaping Ideas and Software

SmartDraw

• SmartDraw offers an easy and inexpensive way to lay out your landscape design ideas on the computer. The website includes demonstration videos for residential landscape designs, gardens, patios, decks and many other examples to give you ideas for your yard. Instead of starting with a blank screen, the software comes with a variety of templates from which to choose, and then you can customize the design by adding the exact details. The large symbol library makes it easy to create your design or try different ideas such as a winding or straight pathway. You’ll find brick patterns and varieties of flowers, shrubs, grasses and groundcover. You can even add a sprinkler system to your layout. SmartDraw offers free support via email or phone.

Idea Spectrum

• Although Idea Spectrum’s suite of user-friendly landscape design software programs are suitable for professional landscape designers and architects, no computer-aided design (CAD) experience is necessary, making them accessible to homeowners as well. The Realtime Landscaping Architect program allows you to create landscape plans that look as if they’ve been hand-drawn. The software includes thousands of symbols such as plants, decks, pools and planters so you can easily try different shapes, materials and colors. Realtime Landscaping Pro uses three-dimensional technology to help you see how the finished result of your landscape design will look. Realtime Landscaping Photo allow you to import photos of your property to use as the basis for your design.

Earthscapes

• Earthscapes offers landscape design software used by many professionals. The software has an easy user interface and a multitude of features such as landscape planning, photo imaging, estimating and plant care. The large symbol library allows you to easily create landscape designs with beds, grass, flowers, trees, walls and pavers through a simple click-and-drag interface. The “Call-out” feature lets you label objects in your design with names, descriptions, prices and special notes. With this feature, you can keep a running estimate of the job—each attribute from the label will be automatically added to your estimate list.