I have seen some offers for landscaping software for under 10 bucks (including shipping). I'm assuming this would not be teh current release, but that's ok. I was wondering if anyone out there had ever used software to help plan their landscaping projects. When I think about it, it might be more helpful to use a computer to illustrate what I want, than for me to hope my wife can decipher my stick-figure drawings. Has anyone out there used software? If so, what kind? Thanks a lot.
Paul

I tried Complete Landdesigner 3D Design Collection by Sierra Home. I didn't like the software. It was difficult to use. It wasn't cheap either. I paid about $50.00.

I've never found one that was worth a dime.

I purchased a landscaping program several years ago, and was very unhappy with it. It couldn't handle the length of my property, or the odd lot shape. I've gone back to graph paper, a ruler, and colored pencils. At least I can tape several pieces of graph paper together, if need be!

Try download.com or jumbo.com. They usually have something for either free or a trial version.

I bought the same one as gardeninggal - didn't like it either. I did like the plant encyclopedia, though.

I had a course in landscape design - we used Landscape Designer Pro. At least, I think that's what it was called. We could buy that software for about $600.00 - if we wanted to use it at home.( I didn't buy it!) I didn't like that either - I was the only student who drew designs by hand. Of course, I was also the only student who was over forty and didn't grow up with computers.

I use stencils a lot in my drawings - you can get them at Staples - they cost about $10.00. I've had mine for years. Then you won't need stick figures anymore.

Egads - noone found anything they liked?!! I'm also a software designer and was thinking of diving into the creation of a landscape & wood-project program. I've tried several CAD programs and HATED 'em! It's inexcusable, how badly they've designed and documented these things. If they'd put half as much thought as they did into that fancy packaging..
Would anyone like to offer their insight on what YOU would like in a program? What would make it easy to use for you, and what exactly did you dislike about the existing products?

the reason most garden design programs are so
bad is they are ussally designed by people who do not really have any real garden knowledge only book transfered knowledge.

Step-by-step of what I would like to see. I'm dealing with small areas. Probably different from the next person.

Enter number of planting areas.

Define length, width of each area.

Select which area to use.

Have buttons on undockable toolbars to select plant type. Need lockable buttons also.

Move cursor over plot area, left-click to place plant.
Ignore left-click if not enough room.

Snaps, grids, and zoom functions would also be nice. Not sure what reports I'd want. I hope this is what you were asking for.

Another thing is that most of the programs I've seen can handle small rectangular or square lots, but NOT large-sized or odd shaped lots, or those with curved boundaries. They need to be scalable, to handle whatever size lots/gardens people have, and ALSO should be able to hadle teh different types of topography we have to deal with--hills, slopes, dips, etc--most programs I've seen don't EVEN take that into accout--they just go on the assumption that you've got a nice, square, level plot. HAH!

You're joshing me. A Software Engineer who can type standard English? Pffffft!

~
Good software for the garden would also have history; what did I put here last year? The year before (right click on grid square concerned, select: 2002, 2002, 2000)? What happens if I assign corn yellow and strawberries green and tomatoes red -- can I overlay them and find out what was where so that it becomes obvious that the resource-hog Corn took nitrogen away from the berries in the middle of the plot...so THAT'S why I only got berries from the ends of the rows!

~
Special menu: Preferred rotation:
Cruciferous vegs/ (fall planting
corn/ (spring planting)
beans-peas/ (fall planting)
taters/ (spring planting)

therefore, right-click on grid square, select 'next suggested crop, 2004' and can PLAN AHEAD a couple of years down the road; if I can't put two sections of taters next to each other in 2005, that means that in 2004 I'll need to put in...corn! Cool!

~
Special features:
hatching on grid to show available sunlight through the day, spring VS summer VS fall
growth habits of trees (they get bigger, shade spreads) projected years ahead
Memo section for tests (drainage, compost piles, PH tests, etc.)
Continuous harvests: Asparagus, berry canes, etc. (unalterable grid squares)
Biennual warnings: "Plant more parsley! Last year!" "Make sure to gather seed from carrots this year!" "Stake down strawberry runners this year for more plants!"

~

ARIS.. RIGHT ON.. IF THEY BUILD THAT, I WOULD BUY IT

Yeeehaaa ... Oh-oh way too much coffee

Yeah, Jim - I agree with Aris - both in finding your sense of humor & scorn of the software-packaging industry extremely refreshing and in thinking it would be really cool to graph out crop rotations, so to speak.
Also, it would be nice (as someone else suggested) to be able to see different sizes / grades of yards in 3-D, too. Perhaps a software that had a general knowledge of how high certain plants were "supposed" to be. That way, you could do a graph of a slanty yard like mine, and look at it from street level, and see how it would actually look, instead of only getting an aerial view.
Yeah, I'd think about buying something like that, too! (if they weren't so goshdurn expensive - you can't do anything about that, can you, Jim?) You'd probably find a good, um, test group here if that wouldn't break all kinds of licensing agreements!

'S okay, dude, I like my short-haired uniforms perky.

Mmm-mmmmmmm! Oh-oh way too many bitchflakes ]

well at moment am designing just such garden
design program. the program prototype is being designed only for edible plants only at moment with
standard garden crops only. but with expandability later for landscaping.
all those option people have said they wanted in this thread have already been either anticipated or are on the to-do list.