So you have decided to finally tackle that pesky yard, and you want to do more than plant some grass and trim the hedges. It is no secret that a well landscaped yard not only looks great, but can add value and enjoyment to your home. It is also not a secret that landscaping is hard work, time consuming, and expensive.

Before you get started it is important that you assess the kind of landscaping that your yard can support, and examine your budget in order to determine the scale of the project. With your findings in mind you can formulate a landscaping plan and get to work. A good plan is important in landscaping because it is difficult to envision the finished product before you start, and it is even more difficult to undo finished work if the finished job does not look like you had envisioned.

That is where landscaping software steps in; it allows you to combine all the elements of your plan and show you how it will look, all before you shovel your first grain of dirt. Modern landscaping software has power that was unimaginable only a few short years ago. Nearly every element of landscape design can be planned, executed, and tested using landscaping software.

Using the software often starts by importing digital photographs of your home onto your computer. Those photographs become the canvas on which you can test your creative landscaping ideas. The landscaping software can often convert the photograph of your home into a three dimensional image where you can "walk or fly" through or around your home in order to see the finished product before you even start. The ability to see the finished product adds an obvious appeal to landscaping software, but the way the software assists you in getting to that end is what makes it truly amazing.

The features contained in modern landscaping software can help the professional or amateur landscape architect plan and execute a top quality landscape design. The software can help choose the proper plants and vegetation for your climate and sunlight conditions, and it can even display the "zones" of your yard that will be the most and least hospitable for the different kinds of plants. As if that was not enough, many software applications have the ability to display your plants in various stages of growth. You can see how your plants and trees will look the day you plant them, and how they'll look in ten years as well. Not even your imagination has this kind of power and accuracy.

The lighting options found in landscaping software are also an important tool in your quest for a top notch landscape design. The software can not only show you what your home will look like during the day or night, it can cast shadows on your property in order to simulate your home's look during every conceivable lighting condition. Using this technology, you can determine the best locations for artificial lighting, and even decide on what level of brightness will best accentuate your landscape's features, all with the click of a mouse.

Landscaping software can help you plan more than plants and lighting. You can "construct" decks and patios, install irrigation systems, fill a pond, create a cascading waterfall, select patio furniture, and print the whole thing out to show your friends. You can even plan a shopping list to help you purchase your supplies and plan your costs. Landscaping software provides the power to plan and envision in a way that was never before possible, so the smart landscaper will be sure to take advantage of all that landscaping software has to offer.