Idea Landscape

Landscape Software: You Get What You Pay For

November 3rd, 2006

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Landscape Software, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Landscape Software.

Similar to home decorating software, landscape design software seems to come in two varieties: affordable for the average person and ridiculously expensive for the average person who wants the aid of software to help realize landscaping goals for their yard. The affordable landscape software titles tend to lack any real usefulness and can be down right frustrating to use, whereas the more expensive titles seem to have intuitive and well thought out functionality.

You want some examples that illustrate this point, correct? Again, like too many of the interior design software titles, the lower end landscape software suites often lack necessary components, or allow you to put together a replica of your actual backyard, but then won’t have a way to input the parts you’re trying to decide on, or perhaps lack the functionality to put the pieces where you need them to go.

For example, you may open the program and be able to find objects to represent your deck and even the deck chairs that are in your backyard, but when you go to put in your hot tub, which happens to be placed at a 45 degree angle from the other elements, the program simply won’t let you. You’ve suddenly discovered how useless the program is because the area around your hot tub is the area you’re trying to landscape.

That said, no landscape software is perfect and in order to end up with results that you want you’re going to need to come up with some ideas on your own. No matter how good the program is it’s still up to you to decide which direction to take things.

There are some landscape programs that are better than others. After all, we want a program that will help us better visualize the landscape ideas that we have in mind, and so the less buggy a landscaping program is the closer it will bring us to visualizing and then implementing the landscape vision in the minds’ eye.

After pouring over various reviews I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two titles at either end of the spectrum as far as good and bad landscape software titles that are affordable. ‘Your Complete Landscape and Garden Designer’ is a very good piece of software and ‘Grow It Gold’ is a very bad and very overpriced piece of landscape software. That said, I invite you to make your own decisions if you’d like to give either a trial.

Don’t limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about Landscape Software. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what’s important.

Suggested Resources
New Complete Guide to Landscaping: Design, Plant, Build (Better Homes and Gardens is really a great and very comprehensive book full of thoughtful tips that anyone should be aware of when they are about to plant a garden. Highly Recommended

Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence (4th Edition) is clear and concise as well as being well written with wonderful graphics. Highly Recommended!

Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia is the absolute best plant reference. It covers more than 20,000 plants on 1500 pages with lots of picture illustration. For Garden Enthusiast!

American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants is another huge book with over a thousand pages. It covers 15,000 plants with 6,000 pictures. Wow! For Garden Enthusiast!

Posted in Landscape General, Landscape Business | No Comments »


ValleyCrest Landscape Companies

November 3rd, 2006

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies is certainly no exception.

ValleyCrest Landscape Architecture is one of the largest landscape companies in the United States. Fifty years ago, they began with the name ValleyCrest Landscape Nurseries and were a small neighborhood landscape retail nursery in North Hollywood, California. During that time, landscape companies primarily worked in yards. ValleyCrest Landscape Architecture became experts in building complete gardens involving ponds, waterfalls, fence overhangs, and concrete, and developed expertise in tree moving as well as selling nursery products retail.

Landscape companies really vary in the types of services that they offer. ValleyCrest Landscape Architecture offers innovative designs that are as individual as the customer who seeks it. They create distinctive landscape environments that are unique, attractive and functional. This is one of the landscape companies that enhance the aesthetics, value and ecology of each site it designs. They pride themselves in creating memorable outdoor environments to enjoy day in and day out.

The studio designers and landscape architects at ValleyCrest are committed to finding environmentally sound solutions. They like to combine a respect for sustainability, responsible land use and resource management to deliver long term benefits. This is a practice that more landscape companies should practice.

At ValleyCrest, they believe that landscape architecture is as much a creative process as a scientific and technical one. They have an array of interdisciplinary services that reflect this thinking and result in user-focused, high quality design solutions. This is one of the things that make them one of the leaders in landscape companies.

A big part of the profit for landscape companies comes from landscape maintenance. ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance is recognized nationwide as a leader in landscape maintenance services. They perform regular maintenance and water management and they also do seasonal color and tree care.

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. When you start sharing the fascinating ValleyCrest Landscape Companies facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

ValleyCrest can handle every aspect of landscape management. They draw upon experience to serve a wide range of customers. Their customers include resorts, retail centers and corporate campuses. This is one of the landscape companies that can pretty much serve everyone. There are a lot of homeowner’s associations, public spaces and private homes that use ValleyCrest. Their stated goal is to ensure that the value of a client’s landscape investment appreciates through proper care and sustainable enhancements.

When ValleyCrest is hired to maintain a landscape, they develop a unique program for each individual property. They take into account local and seasonal factors in the context of the client’s needs and budget. The local ValleyCrest landscape companies frequently tap into their national staff of horticulturists, agronomists and arborists. They use these people as the valuable resources that they are.

Knowing enough about ValleyCrest Landscape Companies to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, you should have nothing to worry about.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. Share your new understanding about ValleyCrest Landscape Companies with others. They’ll thank you for it.

Suggested Resources
New Complete Guide to Landscaping: Design, Plant, Build (Better Homes and Gardens is really a great and very comprehensive book full of thoughtful tips that anyone should be aware of when they are about to plant a garden. Highly Recommended

Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence (4th Edition) is clear and concise as well as being well written with wonderful graphics. Highly Recommended!

Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia is the absolute best plant reference. It covers more than 20,000 plants on 1500 pages with lots of picture illustration. For Garden Enthusiast!

American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants is another huge book with over a thousand pages. It covers 15,000 plants with 6,000 pictures. Wow! For Garden Enthusiast!

Posted in Landscape General, Landscape Design, Landscape Business | No Comments »