Down you go, the new Landscape Message is out. Claire

Maybe check out this thread on another forum: Here is a link that might be useful: Design Software discussion

Landscape Message: May 1, 2015 "Winter moth caterpillar eggs finished hatching, around April 25th, in Hanson and the tiny black caterpillars are about the size of the tip of an eyelash. Once the caterpillars start feeding and grow, they will turn a light, pale green. Monitor the developing expanding buds of maples (oak, Japanese, silver, red, Norway, sugar), birch, crabapple, apple, beech, blueberry and other susceptible plants and manage these caterpillars early to avoid extensive damage. Sampling several Norway maple buds revealed 7 tiny winter moth caterpillars per bud! (That is a lot!). Some tree buds, like oak, are still tight and not fully opened yet, and with plant development delayed, it may be difficult to find caterpillars initially, but continue to monitor the tree buds for winter moth caterpillars. Warmer weather is predicted next week and we should have more information on winter moth caterpillars and where they may be problematic." SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, UMass Extension Horticulturist for Plymouth County - Retired, reporting from Hanson. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common landscape winter annual weeds being observed now are: mouse-ear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) thymeleaf sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia) downy brome (Bromus tectorum) shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) sticky chickweed (Cerastium viscosum) horseweed (Conyza canadensis) spring whitlowgrass (Draba verna) henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) field pepperweed (Lepidium campestre) Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum) pineappleweed (Matricaria matricariodes) annual bluegrass (Poa annua) knawel (Scleranthus annuus) common chickweed (Stellaria media) field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis) purslane speedwell (Veronica peregrina) Report by Randall Prostak, Weed Specialist, UMass Extension Agriculture & Landscape Program, Amherst.

Most landscaping software either has a steep learning curve or is seriously lacking from everything I have read here. Most aren't free, particularly those that have the potential to be useful. Instead consider some other options. One of the posters on this forum uses the MS Paint that comes with Windows computers and a stylus to draw on photos he has uploaded. You can look at info or consult with a good quality garden center on particular plants to find ones that suit the size and texture that you want, but the sketches can give a feel for where you want plants and hardscape of various sizes and types. I tend to use graph paper in map/plan form and make a bunch of copies, put in actual or planned hardscape and important aspects of the home's architecture such as window and door locations, and then make to-size outlines (also in birdseye view) of plants and move them around until locations seem to fit what I want, basically like a blueprint for the garden. I work on a computer making maps professionally, so would just as soon spend my leisure time with analog plans. You will want to do a measured plan view regardless to be sure that things will fit in the space allotted, but many folks need a sketch to help visualize how the plan view will look from ground level. You can usually get a plot plan from the city planning department, often on line, but google maps or google earth can be helpful as well as a starting point for plans.