Garden Design Software: 10 Free Tools To Beautify Your Yard

Making intricate landscape designs requires skill and expertise. That is why it is mostly done by professionals in landscape designing. However, with the aid of computer software, it is now possible for beginners to make landscape designs used to be done only by professionals.

Here are ten of our recommended free garden design software applications that you could use:

10. GardenSketch

Visualizing your future garden space before purchasing any plants is easier done using GardenSketch. With this software application’s specialized drawing tools, you can make new garden designs or make modifications in your current garden space.

This software will also help you choose the most suitable plants for your garden and make estimates on the number of plants and mulching needed. Although still in beta, it is considered to be one of the most useful free garden design software available.

9. Vegetable Garden Design

If you’re planning to make a vegetable garden in your front yard or backyard, Vegetable Garden Design is an ideal tool to use. This software allows you to plan your garden space and then select vegetables which you could drag and drop into the space.

Aside from its huge selection of vegetables to plant, it also includes special tools for tracking the progress in your garden as well as for recording your harvest.

8. Google Sketchup

Google Sketchup is a free software application with a comprehensive drawing feature which you could use for designing your home and other buildings as well as garden landscapes. It has an intuitive interface which lets you select an object for your garden and then drag and drop in your design. Designs can then be viewed in 2D or 3D. You could use this application to make designs from scratch or using available templates.

7. Landscape Vision

Before starting a garden landscape project, it would be good to see how your garden will actually look while you have not yet invested on plants and materials. For this purpose, Landscape Vision is a good solution.

This application has a large database of landscaping elements which you could incorporate in your design such as freeform landscapes, mulches, walkways and a wide variety of plants.

Plants are also grouped into different categories such as perennials, biennials, annuals, grasses, cacti, shrubs, roses and others for easy selection. This application can be used by anyone because of its easy interface.

6. Total 3D Home and Landscape Deluxe Suite

With thousands of samples to choose from and an easy drag and drop interface, designing any type of garden is easier using Total 3D Home and Landscape Deluxe Suite.

Aside from designing gardens, this application can also be used for designing or making modification in home designs. It also contains a selection of 3D objects which you can use in your design.

5. HGTV Home & Landscape Platinum Suite 

Home & Landscape Platinum Suite is a comprehensive software application that is useful for designing and visualizing outdoor surroundings including lawns and landscape. It has a huge selection of design elements such as lighting, decks, pathways, gazebos and others which you can use to transform an ordinary yard into a functional and beautiful landscape. Apart from outdoor space, it can also be used for making indoor home designs.

4. Home Designer Suite 2014

If you are making a complete home design from floor plans to garden designs, Home Designer Suite 2014 is a program worth considering. The main feature of this application includes tools for easy creation of interior and exterior designs like ready-to-use templates and sample design ideas and cost estimation. It also lets you color your design and lighting so you can get a good visual of what your garden will be like when done.

3.  Punch Professional Home Design Platinum Suite

If you are not a pro but would like to professionally create garden designs, Punch Professional Home Design Platinum Suite is a good program to use. Its simple drag and drop interface lets you easily choose your plants, trees, lightings and other objects to add in your design. When you are done, you could preview your work in 3D for a more realistic visualization.

2. SmartDraw Landscape Design Software

SmartDraw Landscape Design Software is a free garden design software that lets you design different types of gardens including patios and decks from scratch or from its built-in templates.

This program also contains a large database of garden features such as greenery and outdoor furniture which you can stamp or drag and drop into your project. You could also color your design and use realistic textures for a more realistic output. Additionally, you could also get inspiration from its various garden samples which include residential and backyard designs.

1. Realtime Landscaping Plus

For designing professional-looking gardens, Realtime Landscaping Plus is one of the best applications to consider and use. One of its prominent features is its ability to make 3D landscape designs from scratch or over a picture of your yard.  It also contains more than 4,000 real-looking plants complete with their detailed information. And best of all, this software lets you see how your garden will look at different seasons of the year.

The ten free garden design software applications we have listed above are just some of the best under this category. Feel free to introduce other free garden design applications which you think should also be on this list.