Kenneth Asselin
Free Landscaping Design Software
If your want to take your landscape design to the next level then you definitely need to consider getting your hands on landscape design software. While there are plenty options available on the market, they can be quite expensive and if you are only landscaping your own garden you might not be able to justify the cost. However there are some free landscape design software options available on the internet which may be more than enough if you are only a hobbyist.
You should remember however, that if a piece of software is free it is probably not going to be as advanced as paid options. That doesn?t mean that free landscaping design software won?t be enough for you, this depends on what you want to achieve using your software. The great thing about free software is that there is no cost for trying it out to see whether it has the features that you want.
Even though the average paid landscaping software will have a more advanced graphical interface and will look a lot better, a lot of the features aren?t actually necessary to create a brilliant garden. If you have tried out a piece of free software and decided that it isn?t enough for you then you should see if a more expensive software program has a free trial before buying it. Many programs such as Isisoft offer a free month long trial of their software which will allow you to really see whether it is what you need. If you are buying an expensive computer program then you should always try and give it a go first because often getting a refund can be difficult if you have already installed and registered the software.
The other benefit of free landscaping software is that they are often much more simple to use than more advanced options. While paid software might be more powerful and allow you to do more advanced things, it also increases the learning curve to start using it. Free software might not have these extras and hence if it is designed well it will probably be a lot easier to use. If you are only going to be using the software for your own garden then it often doesn?t make sense to spend a lot of time learning how to use a difficult program when you don?t need it.
One example of free garden design software is Virtual Garden Designer. This is a great option if you want to visualize how your garden will look once it is completed, even if it isn’t as powerful as paid software.
The options today for landscape design programs is simply unlimited. If you surf the net you can find scores of programs that are free, or the trial program is free. I urge you to take advantage of many of these offers. You have nothing to lose, and it can assist you a great deal when you are landscaping your property.
Ken Asselin is webmaster for the Landscape Design Ideas series of Information websites.?? You can visit his Landscape Design website at: Latest Landscape Design Ideas
Ken Asselin is webmaster for the Landscape Design Ideas series of Information websites.?? You can visit his Landscape Design website at: Latest Landscape Design Ideas
Most shrubs and trees love to be planted in the fall, so they can put down their roots over the winter. “That way they are ready to burst onto the scene with flowers and foliage in the spring.” Even better, nurseries often mark down their plant material at the end of the season, so it’s another chance to save some money. Some specialty plants will need to be ordered for spring, and it’s important to get the order placed in time to have the best selection and highest quality.
Altgelt points out that those who get an autumn head start on their project can have a garden they can enjoy looking at come spring. Otherwise, they could be putting up with a great big muddy mess lasting through the spring and even into the summer. “This can be rather distressing, especially when you consider the alternative.” If one can get through the back hoe and mud stage over the winter, when things are barren anyway, so much the better.
And, of course, the most important consideration is the end result. Optimally, a garden will be pleasing all year round, but Altgelt says most are designed to impress us in the spring and summer. That’s because there is such a wide range of plant choices that exhibit their full splendor in the warm months. Designing a landscape in the fall makes it easier to conceptualize plantings that will provide interest year-round. For example, “a beautiful fall combination of perennials is the Sedum of Autumn Joy, which is reddish or pinkish, next to Salvia, which turns deep purple. These colors resonate with each other. Next if you add the bright golden of the black-eyed Susan, you have a stunning collage of colors.”
The next challenge is to design a landscape that is lovely in the winter. “After the leaves fall and plants begin to go dormant, they reveal their more subtle, internal structure to us. This too can be beautiful, and we take this into account more readily when we design a landscape in the fall.” Some plants, like the evergreens and some grasses, are colorful in the winter. There is a red twig shrub and yellow twig shrub with colorful bare stems after the falling of the leaves. “The earth also begins to reveal more of its sculpted forms when the plants have shed their lushness.”
In Tom’s experience, the fall and winter lend themselves to listening and contemplation, which present opportunities for a connection with the land itself. He has found that most people who own property feel a deep connection with their land. By truly listening to his clients and to the nature within the land, he finds his best inspiration.
“It is wonderful that the practical aspects of saving money and enjoying a beautiful garden sooner go hand in hand with the soulful aspects of co-creating with nature and each other.” For Tom Altgelt, combining the practical with the spiritual allows an exceptional outcome to be achieved.
For more information about landscape design, contact Thomas Altgelt, award-winning Denver, Colorado landscape designer. Visit www.altgelt.com to view Denver, Colorado landscape designs, as well as landscape and garden designs in other areas.
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