Ask around about CAD (computer aided design) software for garden design and you'll hear a lot of opinions. Two CD-ROM CAD-based programs that are getting a lot of compliments are LandDesiger and 3D Landscape. Both are for Windows and both allow you to define your space and "plant" various trees, shrubs and flowers. But CompuServeCD felt that both had extra features that made them special in their own right.
The interface on 3D Landscape is great fun and wonderfully useful. A flip notebook appears on the planning screens. You click on a tab, and up comes all the instructions and tools you could ever want. We had the staff digging ponds and dropping boulders in one Friday night. Landscapes can be rotated through 180 degrees, shadows can be cast for the entire year, and one of our favorite features is the ability to age the landscape over a period of 99 years (talk about living with your mistakes).
LandDesigner has the unique advantage of supplying "set" gardens done in conjunction with White Flower Farms (who produce the kind of garden catalogs that make you want to quit your job and become a landscaper). These gardens are photographed and you can "drop" them into your yard plan. Since they are photographed, you get a clear idea of just what you're planting. Then the entire garden can be ordered, lock-stock-and-barrel from White Flower Farms. These gardens can also be aged, and the tutorial that accompanies this program is great. There is also a plant catalog feature, with photographs, that is wonderfully educational and appealing.
For homeowners and gardeners who would like to plan and avoid costly mistakes, or who want to experiment, these programs offer convenience, and the ability to tell the future--something you can't do with nature too often.
