AI landscape design free? Here is what costs nothing

Before you generate anything, ten minutes with this checklist makes every design more useful, with or without AI:

• Measure the main areas and sketch them on paper, with doors, steps and paths
• Note where the sun falls in the morning, at noon and in the evening
• Find wet spots, slopes and where water runs after rain
• Mark what stays: trees, the driveway, sheds and utility boxes
• Decide how you will use the space: play, dining, growing food or quiet
• Set a budget and the hours a month you will spend on upkeep
• Check local rules for fences, paving and water use
• In the United States, call 811 before digging to locate buried lines

Before choosing any free tool, check whether its free images can be downloaded, at what size, with or without a watermark, and whether you may use them to brief a contractor. A trial that cannot be downloaded at a useful size can cost more time than a paid design.