You could always go old school and sketch it out by hand. With the bed I created this year, I just grabbed pencil and paper. Normally though, I don't bother with sketches, etc. I have a picture in my mind of what I want something to look like and make it happen. (Within reason.)
I tried using Photoshop to do a layout a couple of times. It's just not the right tool. However, I do use it to change image sizes, color density, etc. I know there are landscaping programs ot there, but I have no idea what they cost.
