The Best Apps for Garden Designers in 2023

Whether you like it or not, technology has made it into the world of landscape design and gardening.

In fact, using technology in landscape architecture is not a lot easier than ever. There are now lots of mobile apps and web programs that have made it easier to handle virtually all phases of gardening, including design, installation, and maintenance.

Garden Technology

For those who appreciate the peace of hands-on gardening, the idea of using technology might sound rather alien and unwelcome. However, using technology in landscape garden design can help you save a lot of time, money, and unnecessary hassle.

For people working in the field, using technology in landscape design is a dream come true. Consider how much time is saved by using computer-aided design software when designing a garden. The design outlays are concise, colourful, and communicative. During the design process, conceptual changes can be redrawn in a fraction of the time it takes to do it by hand.

Moreover, advanced methods, which were once only available to large agricultural producers, cannot be affordably used in home farms on a smaller scale. The growing season can help to extend planting indoors.

Getting Started

If you’re just getting started, several online resources can help you approach garden design the right way. These include Land8, the ACS Landscape Design course, Almanac Gardening, and Planet Natural.

If you want some inspiration to ignite your creativity, Pinterest is simply the best place to look. Just search “landscape design” and you will find boards and pins to get your creative juices flowing. For more inspiration, Houzz and Decoist offer a landscape design album full of incredible designs.

Garden Design Software

With the basics of garden design mastered, let’s dive into the fun part – designing your garden. The following are some of the best options for this.

VisionScape

Many customers praise this as the best software for garden design. VisionScape is available for both professionals and non-professionals, with ample video tutorials to get you started. Their free version lets you design your outdoor spaces in 2D and 3D, and take screenshots of the completed design.

You can add fences, decking, walls, and steps with the click of a button. If you prefer editing an existing design, you can easily customise one of the several garden templates available for free. $15 a month gets you a premium homeowner version, which comes with more elements, high-quality graphics, and a feature that lets you share professional presentations of your designs.

Plan your Garden

This is a free, simple garden design tool by Better Homes and Gardens. Once you complete a 20-second signup process, you can use the drag-and-drop feature to add a 3D plan of your garden. While it’s by no means a professional tool, and there are no 2D plans available, it’s certainly a quick, simple, yet fun way to get a few vague ideas from your head and create an actual design.

You start by choosing a background and then position structures like walls and sheds on the land. You can then select different plants and surfaces. The app lets you create, print, and save multiple designs.

SmartDraw

This is a powerful web application that claims to be the smartest way to draw anything from floorplans or flowcharts. SmartDraw’s ability to design and draw landscapes is what makes it great technology for garden designers.

But before you decide whether this software is right for you, consider taking their free trial. The app offers a number of design templates that you could use as a foundation for your own designs. There are thousands of elements, including flowers, brick patterns, sprinkler systems, and shrubs, which you can intuitively drag and drop onto your plan. Once you finish the design, you can share it in several ways, including exporting it to Microsoft Office programs.

SketchUp Make

For those willing to invest more time to learn how to use 3D modelling and design tools, SketchUp Make is a great choice, and the results will be well worth it. You can use the software not just to design landscapes, but also any other 3D designs you might want to tackle. If you need even more functionality, consider paying for the Pro version, though it will cost you $695 and it’s not exactly suitable for beginners.

SketchUp Make lets professional gardeners design their garden in either 3D or 2D. you can easily draw driveways, patios, and swimming pools, with lots of different textures for each. In the in-built warehouse, you will find all kinds of elements such as plants and fences, and you can manipulate the size of each within the app.

Mobile Apps

If you want something you can use while on the go, then, check out the following mobile apps for gardening:

• Home Design 3D

• GrowVeg

• Pro Landscape Home

• Garden Planner

• Gardena

Unfortunately, all of these apps will require you to pay to access more functionality or certain elements in their libraries.

All in all, the tools mentioned above should give you everything you need to excel in landscape design and planning. From understanding what to place in the garden to getting inspiration from other beautiful gardens, you can use this information to design your dream garden.