Welcome to Elmsgate Design

I can’t draw, I’ve tried but I can never get the ethereal beauty that many manage. My efforts, as you can see from my pictured sketch, don’t even make it into the impressionist canon. So when I completed my RHS design course, where everything had been pencilled, penned and taught manually I knew I would have to find an alternative.

Computer-aided design had only been mentioned in passing and I had no clue which packages offer a landscape option. Turns out there are loads all designed with architectural plans in mind and incorporating landscaping as part of that. These packages all offer varying degrees of usefulness, ease-of-use and prices.

Rhino looks like it is the architects’ favourite and it has a brilliant landscape package, however it is only available on Windows. I’ve invested my time in a Mac-based business package. Sketch-Up can be used to create the 3D plans but when it comes to plant images, garden decorations and outdoor furnishing I found it wanting.

I settled on Architect 3D which already has a large library of plant and tree images. And I’m finally turning out plans to the correct scale with 2D representations of flower-filled planting plans and 3D images that I’m happy to show clients. I have had my struggles with the software, I am no computer expert and there are a few YouTube tutorials, but trial and error has been seriously trying my patience.

However, I feel comfortable with it now and the bed that I was trying to draw above now looks like the Cgi below and it took minutes to put it together. This one is basic, but my clients can see shapes, colours and layouts in a full presentation, in a much more adaptable medium than on paper.

I’m not endorsing any of the products I’ve mentioned I’m just so relieved that my career change has not hit stony ground before any ground was even broken.

I just want to draw plans for plants that will eventually look better growing in the soil than on paper. And make it easier to fulfil the client’s brief.