Gardening Software....

NewsUser

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Dec 16, 2001, 3:38:12 PM12/16/01

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Does anyone use software for planning the garden and keeping a database of
plants? I've found something called GrowIt that looks pretty cool, but is
also pretty pricey. If anyone has experience with it I'd sure like to hear
about it. I want something that allows me to input dimensions of property,
house and outbuildings, exisiting trees, etc., without using prefab shapes
and sizes. Any thoughts?

karen
musoke1 at yahoo dot com

MJB

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Dec 16, 2001, 6:16:30 PM12/16/01

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Dynascape is what many of us in the business use.
http://www.gardengraphics.com/
It is not inexpensive, nor is it easy to learn, but it is the most
powerful product on the market that I know of. I use Dynascape in
addition to hand-drawn designs for clients.
Mike.

KrisHur

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Dec 17, 2001, 7:11:01 AM12/17/01

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I've been on the hunt for good software too. I haven't heard of GrowIt, but
wanted to give you a head's up on Sierra 3D LandDesigner, it's awful as is
Broderbund's Total 3D Landscape 3.0.

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Dennis Bishop

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Dec 17, 2001, 3:55:16 PM12/17/01

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I've got a CD of Burpee's 3D Gardening, and it realy doesn't fit my
gardening style at all, anyone wants it can have it for $5.00.

--
2,500,000 tons of steel, spining all alone
in the Dark ... The Place is Babylon 5

www.starlords.org

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NewsUser

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Dec 17, 2001, 8:01:17 PM12/17/01

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Well by process of illimination, looks like I'm going to try GrowIt Gold.
Dynascape is way too expensive for home use and the others just won't do. I
will post my experience with it to the newsgroup.

karen

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NewsUser

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Dec 18, 2001, 11:19:33 AM12/18/01

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I think that's elimination as opposed to illumination.... :-)

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Moll McCarty

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Dec 19, 2001, 12:11:34 AM12/19/01

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> 2,500,000 tons of steel, spining all alone
> in the Dark ... The Place is Babylon 5
>
> www.starlords.org

k-----------not necessarily.

Karen Fletcher

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Dec 19, 2001, 8:03:24 PM12/19/01

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KrisHur <nos...@notme.com> wrote:
: I've been on the hunt for good software too. I haven't heard of GrowIt, but

: wanted to give you a head's up on Sierra 3D LandDesigner, it's awful as is
: Broderbund's Total 3D Landscape 3.0.

No kidding! Times ten! LandDesigner is a very sad story. Sierra bought
the original lovely little CAD program from its creators years ago, tarted
it up beyond recognition and, yes, beyond functionality! 3D is a lovely
idea but one's tolerance for cold-booting to recover from the frequent
crashes wears very, very thin after a while. Broderbund's software is
just as bad, if not worse.

I've looked at just about every mass-market landscaping and garden design
program out there and have yet to see one I would recommend
wholeheartedly.

There's one that's simple and fun called FlowerScape. More for designing
a flower bed than a full landscape, but it's very easy to use and uses
attractive photographic images of plants. The plant library isn't very
extensive, but but the program is colorful fun for a winter's day. (To be
fair, I haven't seen a recent version, so I don't know what the current
plant library encompasses.) Check it out at http://www.fscape.com/

Happily, I still have an old version of LandDesigner before it was
"improved" to where is hardly runs anymore. No 3D, just lots of
flexbility and a great plant library supplied by White Flower Farm.

Cheers!

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
===================================================================
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
^and cats -- Cicero
===================================================================
On the Web since 1994

KrisHur

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Dec 20, 2001, 7:12:14 AM12/20/01

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I too had a very old version of LandDesigner (1996) that wasn't great but it
was ok. Somehow the disk was damaged, looks like a hot match was placed on
it, and it stopped working. So while I wasn't thrilled, I went out and
bought the new version (2001)--a complete piece of garbage.

Thanks for mentioning Flowerscape, I'll check it out. I always wanted a
program for perennial beds rather than complete landscapes, which is all I
can find on the market.

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NewsUser

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Dec 20, 2001, 12:43:23 PM12/20/01

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I was looking into GrowIt Gold a bit more before taking the plunge and
discovered the program is made in Australia. Considering it comes with
100,000 plant records and 4,000 photos in 27 libraries.... I am still
wondering about it including plants for my area of the Pacific Northwest. I
don't think the database includes zone information, either, which would be
helpful. Would I find the same landscape plants in Australia that I'd use in
Oregon?

Any thoughts on this before I spend $110 and find out I've got something I
can't use?

karen

KrisHur

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Dec 22, 2001, 1:41:59 PM12/22/01

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I'd not buy this software if I was you. Without zones, you'd have to go
through all 100K plants to find the ones that work in your area and that's
only if they give you any temperature info. Not to mention there's only 4K
pictures--that means you'll be looking up 96K plants on-line or in books,
then sort out what's even available here in the US from what's mostly found
in Australia.

Can you find their website and shoot off an e-mail expressing your concerns?

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