5 Best Digital Garden Planners

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Before planting a flower bed, planning is crucial. And, did you know that there are many tools to help you plan your flower bed layouts? These flower bed planners can help you come up with a design with the right arrangement of flowers, along with additions such as water features, pathways and lighting, to help increase your home’s curb appeal.

Here are five flower bed planners with online design tools to help you plan, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener.

Flower Bed Planners

Garden Puzzle

For those who like working with a grid, Garden Puzzle offers users a grid-based view of your garden. You then choose your background scenery and then drag and drop everything from spring tulips to a hydrangea bush to native perennials and annuals.

Cost: Free for the trial version or $19 for a single user.

Garden Planner Online

You’ll be able to customize the look of your home’s landscaping with Garden Planner Online. This interactive online planning tool allows you to set the site and shape of your garden, then add everything from flowers and shrubs to fencing and a patio. When finished, it gives you the option to print out all the plants you used in your design so you’ll be ready when you hit the garden center.

Cost: Free for the trial version or $34.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac

For those uncomfortable with online planners and programs, the Old Farmer’s Almanac offers a design guide for planning flower bed layouts. Take a look at the flower garden layouts and the list of plants to see if it would work in your space to up your home’s curb appeal.

Cost: Free. You can subscribe to newsletters on the website.

Realtime Landscaping Architect

Ideal for those looking to add perennials and annuals, shrubs and trees to their landscape, Realtime Landscaping Architect by Idea Spectrum is a flower bed planner that allows you to drag and drop plants, along with water features. The online tool also allows users to design garden pathways so you’ll get an idea of what your flower bed layouts will look like from spring to fall.

Cost: Free for the trial version or $399.95.

SmartDraw

SmartDraw is in an easy-to-use online virtual garden planning tool that lets you drag and drop garden plants into position, whether you have a traditional garden or a raised bed. The program has hundreds of garden design templates, from basic to complex. You’ll also be able to add elements such as fencing, turf, lighting and furnishings.

Cost: Free for the trial version or $9.95 for a single user, annual license.