Landscaping For Beauty and the Environment – Landscape Lighting – Part 5b
Creative Landscape Lighting
Consider these elements when designing your lighting plan.
- Remember the notion that less is more – and apply this to your garden lighting. be subtle and don’t overdo it – you don’t want the place to be floodlit like a used car yard.
- This doesn’t mean you only highlight one tree and do nothing else with the lighting.
- What it does mean is that you don’t overdo it and, for example, spotlight every tree. for good landscape lighting that is a feature of your garden, varying the types of lighting and their placement will add more aesthetic interest. Ambient light from the spotlights you do use can also illuminate and create an interplay of light and shadow of nearby plants and foliage.
- Try to ‘paint’ with light’ – so that the garden becomes an entirely new place at night-time and wonderful to see and contemplate.
Be Innovative and Creative
1. Around garden beds or at path edges set the lights at irregular distances for a more natural effect. Don’t make the pathway lighting – seem like an airport runway, but simple illumination so that folks can see their way.
2. Position your ground level lights in such a way that they almost peep out of the plants that surround them.
This softens the glare, but still exposes enough light for function.
Landscape lighting adds beauty and interest to your home, and creates enough lighting for everyone to safely move throughout the space that is your yard – both front and back. when you need more or brighter light, you have this installed with a separate switch to use on special occasions as needs arise.
Some Varied Ideas
Consider placing a string of small fairy lights (clear or white) along the branches of a tree or over an archway or pergola/patio. Not on every tree – but one that is a feature tree. Garden lighting will reduce the risk of night-time accidents as it increases safety in areas that have your pool, spa, decking and other features
Types of landscaping lights to consider
- Accent Lights.
- Floodlighting
- Pathway and Spread Lights.
- In-Ground and Well Lights.
- Specialty Lights.
- Christmas decorative lights
- Step and Brick Lights.
- Posts, Beacons, and more.
Landscape lighting also provides greater home security and acts as a deterrent to invasive crime. Landscape Lighting can be placed along walkways, steps, and driveways, pointing up at trees, walls, and fences. You will need a transformer, low-voltage electrical cable, and the fixtures for the average low voltage out door lighting, it is easy to install even if you are not familiar with wiring and so on. the last two main parts of this series will be published soon.
