To many people, a yard is a green expanse of canvas that awaits the touch of an artist’s brush. To others, the space is a confusing green patch that makes a daunting task of the simplest of changes.
Landscaping apps help you look at your lawn through an objective lens, virtually place plants, and let you decide what plant material looks good in your yard. The following four apps will help you become the Picasso of landscaping. Soon, you’ll enjoy your yard’s new layout and wonder why you stressed over your landscape in the first place.
Home Design 3D Outdoor/Garden App
Image via Flickr by Karen Roe
The Home Design 3D Outdoor/Garden app uses 3D-modeling technology to aid you in creating a layout. Enter the dimensions of the area you’re working on to start the sandbox mode, then pick the plants you’re thinking about using. Lay out the plantings as you go, swap different plants, or adjust spacing until you reach your desired symmetry. You get one hour of free use from the app, which also allows you to save your work. After the free use, you pay for the app download.
Perhaps the app’s biggest drawback is the dimension requirement. Rather than photographing your yard, you’ll need to enter the dimensions. However, if you prefer to use a general idea as opposed to setting specifics — such as placing river stones, for example — you’ll find the app works well.
Pro Landscape Companion App
Pro Landscape Companion’s app makes designing a dream landscape easy. Take a picture of your home, your lawn, or whatever you’d like to improve, then open your photo in the app. From that point, you’ll have a versatile selection of plants to place and take out as you experiment with designs.
While the app is designed for use on tablets for best results, you’ll find the features work great with a device like the Galaxy Note 5, thanks to the large screen size of this Samsung smartphone. Phones with larger screens allow you to take full advantage of the app so that you can see a wider frame when you’re moving and placing objects. Plus, with the Quad HD Super AMOLED display every detail will look beautiful and clear.
Garden Design Ideas App
Don’t feel like doing the heavy lifting and creating a layout? Then Garden Design Ideas is the ideal app for you. The Garden Design Ideas app allows you to view pictures of gardens and layouts. You may wonder, “What’s the use in that?” Initially, you may not perceive the app to have value, but the app itself can actually be helpful when you find yourself stuck for design inspiration.
You can view more than 100 pictures for inspiration. You get to see what certain plants look like when they’re in bloom and how these plants fill out an area when mature. Compare layouts to your existing space and see what plantings might look good in your landscape. If you find yourself on the fence, set the image as a background on your digital device and view it for a few days until you’re sure you’re pleased with the concept.
iScape Lite Landscape Designs App
Don’t let the name of the app fool you: This app is available for Android devices. The Android version lets you insert a photograph of your home and place landscaping details, plants, and textures into any pattern you think might work. This landscape design app works like photo editing software to help you select, lay out, layer, and delete objects as needed.
The app itself is free, but most of the features are in-app purchases. You’ll find certain types of plants or ground cover textures also available in the paid version of the app.
Decorating the yard is a highly personal decision. You want to make your home look good while reflecting your own personal taste. The four apps presented above can help you figure out what plants should go where and how the full landscape design will look. Make sure to use all the app features available to you to make the most of their use and make your home’s landscape look great.