[johnkeegan]

Has anyone used the "Horticopia Professional XE package" software or "Horticopia Woody and/or Herbaceous SE Library"? I'm mostly looking for a reference where I could succinctly print out info for customers relating to maintenance, growth habits etc. And, of course, I could use it to help alleviate any "designer's block" on my part.
I'm just afraid that some of these encyclopedia's are overkill and written for someone with a doctorate in horticulture. And, therefore, I would have to translate everything into layman's terms for my customers (and me). I don't need to impress any one that know all 72 varieties of Potentilla Fruticosa or whatever. For my customers I'd like a simple synopsis of each plant and for me it would be nice to have a handy reference of "good proven plants" with an HONEST description of their hardiness, growth habits etc. And I'm only concerned with plants that are actually readily available. I don't want to go to Tibet or spend 8 hours on a Google search looking for a dwarf "Variegated Ilex Meserveae" that blooms yellow in October.... You get my point.
I know others such as Michael Dirr produce books that are less collegial and more concise (I have a few). But the software feature would be nice. Then I could simply give a customer a burned CD made specifically for them that had all the info instead of reams of paper.

[Stonehenge]

Maybe Horticopia has changed how they do things, but I don't believe they let you burn anything and give anything away. Granted I have an old version, but all I can do is print pics and descriptions, and even that is often hit and miss (check your PM's for more details).

This might be awhile in the making, but if GTX could change the format for our plant DB to include a little graphic that briefly describes plant specs and a couple pics, with you downloading it to print yourself, would that be of value?

[NCSULandscaper]

I use it and even if i didnt have my degree in horticulture, i would find it pretty easy to read the description tables. When we do a new install, i give the option of putting together a notebook with all plants and their descriptions........just get a pic of the plant and put it in the print layout and the description and ure set.

[johnkeegan]

Jeff, Check this link http://www.visualimpactimaging.com/p...apro/index.htm
P.S.- Since I know you like gadgets, while you're there check the "GPS Designer" listed in "products."

[VoodooChile]

I like Horticopia and have used their layout function to make plant description sheets, but it isn't exactly a breeze to make the sheets look professional, and frankly I think giving customers this type of product for free is overkill and lost time and money.

Most clients just aren't that interested in getting a library with their landscape, and there is also the issue of having a design and plant description sheets on the table, but no signature on the bottom line. Do you really want to arm-wrestle Mr and Mrs. Cheapskate for the design/sheets when it becomes clear they are collecting ideas for No-name Rusty Truck landscape to install it at 1/4 your cost? To avoid this, I bring the design on the laptop and no hard copy. They can't really ask for the laptop, can they? Granted, I do almost exclusively residential work...

Instead, I would like to put together a ring binder with master copies of the plant description sheets that I could show the clients the plants I'm using in their design. Unfortuantely, I haven't had the time to ice this project yet...

[johnkeegan]

Trust me, they only get the maintenance sheets/CD AFTER the deal's gone down. And, actually, only after the installation is complete. Then I don't have to revise it after any changes.
Of course, I'm not doing this just to get extra points for good customer service. I thought I might avoid some of those frantic 8 A.M. calls that go.."How do I prune my boxwood... when do I fertilize my hollies...and that reminds me, while I've got you on the phone, could you come and look at ..." as the call drags on for 10 minutes while I'm trying to get the crews out of the yard.
I give customers basic maintenance sheets on when to water, fertilize, prune etc. But it doesn't distinquish between every different variety of tree, shrub and perennial. Somehow, I thought a handy reference where I could "click and drag" the info I need onto a CD would clean up the process. Ya know, in one folder highlight "Blue Maid holly, Kousa Dogwood, Neon Flash Spirea, Moonbeam Coreopsis...." and then drag it over to the CD. That way they'd have a handy, concise reference that listed only the plants they needed to know...And who knows, maybe add other items on the CD such as water features or stone walls we've done to spur their interest.

[trees]

I don't know of any software that will allow you to burn directly from their product, but there is a work-around for that. If you wanted to create your own library of info sheets, like from Horticopia, you could download a PDF printer driver to do that. Basically, instead of printing the info sheet to paper, you would be printing it to a PDF file. Save that to your "plant info" folder. Then, when you are ready to burn your CD, you could just click and drag those files to your burning software and create the CD that way. PDF is a cross-platform file type so they could read it on Mac or PC.

A free PDF driver is downloadable at www.pdf995.com

This can also be used to email invoices, etc. if your software doesn't allow specifically for that function. I use it with my CAD program to send the files in a clean and easy format to the printer.

Just a thought...

[r schipul]

John,

I'm sure there would be a way to burn photo's to a cd as trees mentions above. I'm using the program the way you mention. I would look into it a little more before purchasing. Don't get me wrong I love the program and use it constantly but maintenance notes are non existent in my copy. There is nothing in my software that you could give to a client or employee. It would be great if they collaborated with Tracy DiSabato Aust of the Well Tended Perennial Border. The sheets are similar to if not exactly like Dirs Woody Manual. You could always add your own maintenance notes if you have 1000 hours of spare time.

[VoodooChile]

Horticopia does assert strict copyright protection over their pictures. Here's the skinny. Hope it's alright to distribute their copyright policy...

Copyrights
All HORTICOPIA® Professional pictures, data and software are copyrighted. HORTICOPIA® Professional is a horticultural reference. It is not a royalty free picture library or clip art library. As far as copyright is concerned, you should use HORTICOPIA® Professional in the same manner as a printed book.

Printing pictures or data from HORTICOPIA® Professional or exporting them to other applications should be consistent with using HORTICOPIA® Professional as a horticultural reference. Specifically:

No Publication

No pictures, data, or output either generated or derived from HORTICOPIA® Professional may be published in any form including, but not limited to, books, catalogs, advertisements, brochures or web pages.

No Digital Media

Under no circumstances may any digital information (pictures, data, or software) be copied or distributed. The sole purpose of the exporting and copying capabilities in HORTICOPIA® Professional is to use pictures or data therein in another application on the same computer.

No Commercial Gain

You may not sell pictures or other output generated with pictures or data from HORTICOPIA® Professional either as a stand-alone product or packaged with another product. This precludes using HORTICOPIA® Professional to make plant labels. On the other hand, signage made by the owner of HORTICOPIA® Professional for use in his business would be allowable, so long as such signage is not created in volume or sold to others. Similarly, incorporating products generated with HORTICOPIA® Professional into one-of-a-kind landscape proposals would also be allowed.

[VoodooChile]

I admire your altruism johnkeegan, but I wouldn't want to pull something like that together for every install, no matter how many points it would score.

We do distribute our own "Caring for Your New Landscape" guide, and generate a fair ammount of follow-up maintaince caring for our installs down the road.

I hear you about the calls though. Have you tried caller-i.d. to screen, or maybe hiring an answering service? I know, you are paying to make the phone ring, but you are also paying sometimes when you answer it, say when the crews are standing in the yard waiting on your presence to get the show rolling.