Spring is around the corner and it's time to start thinking about the exterior of your home and specifically your green space. At this time of year it is not unusual to think about front yard landscaping ideas, changing your garden or finally having those open cassette awnings that you always wanted to have. But often best intentions (like a new year's resolution) fall by the wayside. Daunted by the planning process, your landscaping front yard ideas and redesign can become overwhelming before it even starts. It's not long before you acquiesce to "Same flowers in the same beds again this year honey?".

But the path of least resistance doesn't need to be the path taken. Before you throw in the proverbial towel, consider trying landscaping design software. Landscaping design software can let you test design ideas for landscaping front yards on the computer before you order supplies and start to plant. The software can save you a lot of time, money and aggravation. Don't give up yet - the snow hasn't even melted!

Landscaping design software makes it easy to design all aspects of your front or backyard. I can't tell you how useful it is to see your project come to life on the computer.You can really let your imagination go wild, testing new elements like bed placement, adding brickwork, or a fountain and see if you're new design is in fact improved. Landscaping ideas for front yard can be tested with out planting a flower to see if it is going to work. Considering raised beds or other new landscaping ideas for small front yards? Load the layout of your yard into the software and add them! Being able to load in specific materials and plant varieties also allows you to play test different color options before passing the point of no return. Conferring with family members to make sure everyone is in agreement with the landscape design is another benefit.

It is worth the price of the software alone to ensure everyone in the household agrees on the color scheme, plant varieties and the final layout.Who knows having this buy-in might make it easier convince these same people to help with the yard work, after all they were excited by the design. It may not be a Playstation 3 game, but you'll be surprised by the cache this "cool technology" will have with your kids.

Ultimately you will find that you will end up saving money and time by using software to test small front yard landscaping ideas or larger changes. A great product worth mentioning is the Landscaping Design Series from Punch Software but there are other options. A benefit of the Punch series is you own the software for future projects, and it has great features. These include a plant finder which will give you information on thousands of plant varieties for every region in the country. A materials cost estimator which is great for figuring out your project budget. The ability to import images from photos of your actual home as a starting point for your new design and then print perspective views of your new virtual garden. Considering adding a deck? No problem, just drop in one of the deck design templates included to help you visualize your first BBQ on your new deck!

If the returning birds have got you thinking about landscaping ideas for front of house additions this year, consider trying landscaping design software. You can begin satisfying your green thumb now by planning and you will be happy with the end results later in the season when you are enjoying your new garden!

Bird feeders are a wonderful addition to any outdoor space. They are important additions for a number of reasons:

• They serve the purpose of attracting a number of bird species to your garden or backyard
• They have the ability to give your outdoor space character
• They provide passing birds with food and water

Certainly the main purposes for having these feeders is to provide food to the various birds that might be flying around while serving as a decorative outdoor item that can take a dull outdoor space into something fabulous.

However, when you place cheap bird feeders in your outdoor space you are essentially creating a restaurant for your winged friends. It therefore means that you must ensure that their (the birds) ‘restaurant’ is well maintained. The maintenance of your bird’s dining area will require that you clean the feeders on a regular basis, which reduces the likelihood of the birds contracting a disease, or eating seed that is moldy.

Maintaining feeders is quite simple as all that you need to do is ensure that the food storage containers are dry and free from fungus and mold. Doing all that you can to prevent mold and fungus will make your home more appealing and healthier for your invited winged guests. Not to mention that a clean squirrel proof bird feeder looks great anywhere. You would not dine at a dirty restaurant so neither should your winged guests.

Another thing that you should do to maintain a clean and healthy environment for your birds is to have multiple feeders a couple of feet apart to prevent overcrowding. Give visiting birds options by placing feeders at varying points in your outdoor space. You can even place them at different levels. Imagine coming home to your front or backyard filled with the sights and sounds of birds that have made your garden their home. This is the joy and comfort that you can expect from having well maintained hummingbird feeders in your outdoor space. Additionally you can choose to further enhance the space by adding birdhouses and fountains to your outdoor space.