| We live in a computer age. Practically every | | | | There are only a few landscaping programs on |
| household has a computer, and every big town | | | | the market - you'll want to do a little research on |
| has a computer store where one can go to stock | | | | each to find if one suits your needs. |
| up on software or all kinds of games. There's | | | | Competing programs include the Better Homes |
| software for everything from learning a foreign | | | | and Gardens Landscaping and Deck Designer, |
| language to correlating your recipes... to designing | | | | Instant Landscaping, and Your Complete |
| your landscape. | | | | Landscape and Garden Designer. |
| The traditional way to design a new landscape is | | | | If you decide to purchase a landscaping program, |
| to sketch out a scale model of your front or | | | | of course do the common sense things of making |
| back yard on a sheet of graph paper, with each | | | | sure you have the right operating system and |
| block equivalent to a certain number of feet, | | | | enough memory to run the program. Make sure |
| depending on the size of your yard. Over this grid | | | | the company offers technical support. Surf the |
| you place sheets of tracing paper, on which you | | | | web to get an idea of any feedback or |
| play around with the different kinds of features | | | | complaints on any of the software before you |
| you'd like to see in your landscape, and where | | | | buy it. |
| they'd best fit. | | | | Features to look for: |
| You can now do the same thing with a computer | | | | Landscaping templates - the more the better. |
| program - only with the software you'll be able to | | | | A library of more than 4,000 components for |
| see things in 3-D which will aid greatly in the | | | | your project ideas - try to get software designed |
| visualization of your finished design. | | | | for your particular area - so t hat it's library will |
| Of course even if you use landscape software - | | | | contain plants you're likely to use. A feature helps |
| there is still information that you need to research | | | | you seek for plants based on drought tolerance, |
| on your own, which you'll have to input into the | | | | climate deer, resistance, etc. Ability to design and |
| program, in order to use the software effectively. | | | | visualize your areas in 3D. |
| You'll have to have exact measurements of the | | | | The drawback to landscaping software is that it |
| width and length of your yard. You must know | | | | can be difficult to use if you are not computer |
| the pH balance of the soil, and the soil composition | | | | savvy. But if you're not averse to reading |
| - sand, clay, etc. You must know where it slopes | | | | manuals, this software can make your landscape |
| and where it's level - which effects water runoff. | | | | designing even more enjoyable. |