Landscape Lighting - Design for the Outdoors

Landscape lighting can be used to improve the beauty of your home’s exterior while providing security and safety. Enhance the ambiance of your property at night with low-voltage landscape lighting of trees, shrubs and flowers, plus increase safety by lighting up stairs, driveways, walkways and grounds with post lanterns and tier lights. Low voltage lighting uses only 12 volts of electricity and is safe to install.

You can easily create a lighting plan by choosing one or two points of interest and make these the centerpiece of your landscape lighting display, then build the rest of your lighting plan around your focal point. Unique landscape features, such as sculptures and shaped shrubbery, can be highlighted using spotlights, or a sequence of spotlights can create an interesting mosaic of colors and textures. In addition, up-lighting adds visual interest to objects such as trees, bushes, statues and fountains.
Other techniques include the use of path lighting to illuminate the areas where people walk or drive, which adds an element of safety and beauty. Floodlighting is also a versatile technique used for illuminating a wide range of features including walls, garden ponds or gazebos. This lighting can also be used to make a path attractive and safe.

Use silhouetting to provide dramatic effects on a broad surface, like a wall, behind a landscape feature such as bushes. Wall lighting can be incorporated into a wall bordering a building, pool or walkway area for added visibility.

For maximum light output, light fixtures should not be covered by foliage, tree branches or bushes. Check the fixtures periodically to see if nearby foliage needs pruning. Also, for maximum safety, light and cables should be installed at least five feet from the edge of a swimming pool.
Remember to regularly clean the lenses and fixtures of your landscape lighting and take the time to readjust ground level fixtures if needed.

See a Lighting One sales consultant for more information and design ideas. Posted with permission from Lighting One at www.lighting-one.com