Lighting Your Landscape

Over the years, landscape lighting has become more and more popular among homeowners and landscapers. It has become more than just making sure dark corners are lit to prevent attracting burglars, and focuses now on enhancing and illuminating your landscape after the sun goes down. Of course, the benefit of deterring burglars is still incorporated into landscape lighting, but it has been attained in more subtle ways.

These days, landscape lighting is installed to dramatize, highlight, and accent various aspect of your landscape. The aim is to hone in on the architectural features and make them stand out, while keeping the lighting fixtures unobtrusive. Using colored lights can help add vibrancy to the landscape and plants; yellow or red hues make the landscape come alive and pop, while green makes the foliage even more intense in color.

Some common ways to light your landscape are as follows:

• strategically place a light at the bottom of an arbor or archway


• use a splash of light on the side of your house to make the texture or design stand out


• aim a beam of light along a textured wall or fence


• install submersible lights in your pool or pond to make the water glow


• use low-watt lights along stairs, and under benches for safe outdoor entertaining


• aim a strong light on outdoor activity areas

Common types of lighting:

• LED lights are low-watt, use less energy, last longer, and can be placed just about anywhere in your landscape


• Fluorescent lights are used in wall lamps, posts and flood lights and are cheaper to buy but require more energy


• Fiber Optic lights are great for placing along patios, decks, or water features


• Solar Lights are cheap and very cost efficient since they are run by sun energy. These can be placed along pathways, ponds, walls, and by plants

The options are practically endless when it comes to lighting your landscape. Aside from the aesthetic appeal of landscape lighting, it makes your outdoor living space safer for you, your family, and guests. Making sure that your steps, pathways, and driveway are appropriately illuminated helps prevent trips and falls. Using motion detector lamps in secluded areas helps save on electricity for lighting the lesser used space, as well as warding off burglars.

Whether you have a large budget to swathe your landscape in elegant, high quality lighting, or you are strapped and need to do it yourself, there are plenty of options for lighting your landscape. No matter how pricey or how cheap you go, when planned out strategically, you can obtain a beautifully lit landscape.

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