I learned design using pencil and paper. It's 100% intuitive. I've tried Autocad and low end design programs (though not Punch.) While a computer drawn plan CAN look slick, as others before me have said, it cannot help you design a landscape any more than Microsoft Word can help you write a novel. That comes from study and experience. In the beginning, rather than helping you draw, they inhibit your drawing. While the very basics might not be too bad to learn, some of the details can be maddening. When you can't find a way to accomplish some small task that prevents you from moving forward, it's frustrating. The other bad thing is that it can be very difficult to control the drawing the way that you want. I've seen computer drawn plans that look horrible and were barely readable because of being so cluttered with goofy plant symbols. If a low end program has a plant database, it will be woefully insufficient, especially if you're interested in unusual plants. To use a low end program, I find I must virtually ignore the plant database, and the symbols in order to create a drawing that is uncluttered and easy to read. Doing that makes it impossible to create a computer generated plant list so it's little better than pencil and paper to me. There is one nice advantage to even a low-end program and that's the ability to help you figure out, draw and visualize nice site work. If you're trying to layout some hardscape features, the drawing is precise and clean. The 3-d and rendering capability can make it easier to visualize the end result. I still like pencil and paper the best... except for the erasing. But throw-away tracing paper can eliminate a lot of that.

Moq, thanks a million for the step-by-step instructions, I have my photos on photobucket now and was able to post some pictures.

I have a couple that I've used over the years. They came with my Canon Cameras, I've had 3. Adobe Photo Deluxe Business Edition Ulead PhotoImpact I also have quite a few others which many others have posted about here. I also have quite a few others that haven't been listed, but the two above have been my favorites over the years!

Thanks, Earline & Rosewater. I'm now trying to get a realllly good pic of any of the 4 Anna's hummingbirds that have been spending the winter here with me...first time ever that I've seen a hummingbird in this area during the winter. My digital camera is good (Olympus C-5050 5-megs) but I don't think it's up to the challenge. I'll keep trying tho...maybe when it's warmer and the light is better, I'll go outdoors and try. I'm currently shooting thru the window with the feeder just outside.