Landscape lighting is used to illuminate both private and public gardens. It also encourages security, safety, accessibility, and nighttime aesthetics. It also is useful for sporting and/or social events.
History: The outdoors have been lit for as long as indoor areas have. In ancient times, they were illuminated by wooden firelight, candles, torches, sconces, and lanterns. Obviously, things have progressed from there until we’ve gotten to where we are now.
Current: Conventionally created and sourced electricity is currently the most common form of power for outdoor lighting. There are strides being made toward more efficient lighting, increasing availability of sustainable designs. They’re also becoming more eco-friendly to prevent global warming. Aesthetic and safety concerns are also being dealt with. This progress is demonstrated by the increased use of LEDs, solar power, low voltage fixtures, energy efficient lamps, and energy-saving design.
Power Sources
- conventional source electricity-based fixtures (fixed post, wall, hanging, in-grade, mount tress, stake-mount, stationary and movable fixtures; different options come in different voltages)
- solar source electricity (comes on each fixture or the property’s solar panel system)
- rechargeable battery fixtures (tabletop lanterns)
- natural gas (fixed post lamps and wall lanterns as well as flex-connection fixtures)
- propane (tabletop portable lanterns and flex-connection fixtures)
- oil fuels (hurricane lamps and camping lanterns)
- fire-based flame (pernazzle lanterns, outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, fire bowls, and tiki-torches)
Lighting Components
Power: connection to main power source, transformers, timers, light sensor switching, motion sensor switching, manual “light switches,” automated light switching units-systems, and remote lighting switching (on-property devices, off-site phone or online systems).
Electric Wiring: Conduit (placed underground for line voltage, in vulnerable locations, or under/in constructed elements-pavements) or cable/wire (placed underground because of codes for line and low voltage or put above ground at stake-mounted and tree mounted fixtures).
Light Fixtures (fixed location – line voltage and low voltage): post mount (column mount), address light, wall mount, ceiling mount (hanging fixture), security lights, tree lights (up and down lights), in-grade fixture (uplights buried in-ground in which the top is flush with the surface), adjustable aim “bullet” (uplight), sports court lights (for places such as tennis courts), portable fixtures (“hard wired” or “plug-in” ‘wet location rated’ interior style fixtures), and string lighting – bulbs and LED (“holiday lights”).
Light Fixtures (low voltage – modest location adjustments): path lights, area lights, uplights (stake-mounted, directional, spot, and food lights), wall lights (surface mount), tree-mount lights (down lights), deck lights (surface mount), well lights (mounted below grade), hardscape lights (integrated into walls), step lights (recessed into catherine risers), and rope lighting (fiber optics).
Underground features are also available for places such as pools, hot tubs, fountains, etc. There are several types of these kinds of lights, including floating fixture lights.
Ten Tips for Good Curb Appeal
- Don’t Just Get A Few Solar Lights – Don’t do just the bare minimum. You have the opportunity to turn your yard into a masterpiece.
- Figure Out How You Want To Use Your Outdoor Space – Are you looking for something to illuminate the walkways to keep people safe, to increase home security, to highlight the architectural features of the house, or to provide lighting for outdoor parties?
- Cover The Basics First – It should be mandatory to have lighting in the following locations—pathways and entryways, driveways, steps, patios, trees, and water features or unique architectural elements.
- Use LED Lighting For A Longer Life – The most common types of lights used outside are LEDs and halogens. As usual, LEDs are the better choice. There are several reasons this is the case. For one, they last a very long time so that means you won’t have to change them right away in hard-to-reach places such as the ground or a tree. Not only are they longer-lasting, they also are more durable, withstanding all types of weather very well. They’re also very decorative. You can dim or brighten them to create cool effects.
- Use A Combination of Overall and Task Lighting For Variation – Overall lighting illuminates the entire landscape, task lighting is used for a specific purpose, and accent lighting highlights a certain object or feature. Using all three types creates a “fuller” feel.
- Position Your Lighting Correctly At Night – Position the lights at night so they clearly and beautifully illuminate your yard and the objects in it. During the day, the factors won’t be the same as they would be at night. These may be things such as creating shadows or shining the lights into a window on accident.
- Prevent Outdoor Light Pollution – There are several ways to avoid this—1) don’t shine the light right into someone’s eyes, 2) don’t flash the light into your neighbor’s windows or at their home and 3) don’t use so much light that you wash out the natural light sky.
- Put Your Landscape Lighting On Timers – To make your life easier, set your timers and dimmers to make the lights turn on automatically to keep your home looking fantastic 24/7.
- Choose Lighting Wattage That Accents And Doesn’t Overwhelm The Space – Selecting the correct wattage can create the right atmosphere for an outdoor space. The brighter the light, the harsher the effect will be. Go for a lower wattage bulb to create a more elegant look.
- Figure Out What Kind Of Lighting You Want – There are several types of lighting that can either create a gentle, dramatic, or bold feel.
– Down-lighting: designed to be a romantic lighting similar to that of the moon. It’s created using lighting that faces downwards from a location such as a tree.
– Up-lighting: A bolder lighting option that shines directly on objects in your yard.
– Cross-lighting: Lights objects in the yard from both sides creating depth. It also is good at eliminating shadows.
More Ideas
Your goal should be to create something interesting. You want people to take a second look at your property as they drive by at night when it’s lit up. Here are some ways to do that.
Mark Parameters: You may put lights along a path or in the garden adjacent to it to illuminate it. Note that the moon also may provide some light.
Mix Styles: Changing up the styles of lighting you use in a given space can create a unique look. Be sure to move them if they’re obstructing plant growth. Keep a good bulb in them always and be sure they’re clean.
Less Is More: Look at pathway lighting as hints as where to go next, not as lights on a runway. Fewer is better.
Add Color and Texture: You can keep the charm of your yard or garden at night by placing lights by your plants. This also brings color into your yard even when it’s dark outside.
Work With What You’ve Got: You don’t have to light every inch of your yard. Sometimes having downlighting from the house and uplit trees can provide enough light for a walkway.
Moon Lighting: Moon lighting is when a light is placed in a tree to create a natural “moon” lighting look. Sometimes this ends up creating a woodsy feel.
Cool Light: On the color temperature spectrum, moonlight is on the cool side. This gives it a blueish tint. Lighting with a color temperature of 5500 kelvins gives a moonlight and natural look.
Indirect Lighting: For seating areas, use moon lighting or options installed higher up. This kind of space shouldn’t feel like a stage with bright lights shining directly in the guests’ faces.
Warm and Cool Lighting: While moonlight is 5500 kelvins, candlelight is on the opposite (warm) side of the spectrum at 2000 kelvins. That said use both types of lights. If the overall glow is cold with a few warm accents, the candles (aka warm lighting) will really stand out.
Fireplace Lighting: If you don’t have trees to install lights into in order to create moon lighting, you could use a fireplace feature. In addition, you could build a pergola that you could install lights in that could be dimmed for a more inviting feel.
Hardscape Lighting: This type of lighting can be done with LED tape. This is a flexible strand of LEDs in a silicone case that keeps moisture out. While the strips are adhesive, they also require clips to help them stay in place. You’ll need some electrical experience in order to install these.
Water Features: When a property owner has a water feature, it’s likely he/she will want it lit from inside as well as uplit. Even though this look is not natural, it does help illuminate a focal point of the yard.
Natural Beauty: In terms of a water feature, you should hear it before you see it. It is this way in nature. Therefore, keep the lighting soft to simply just enhance its natural beauty.
Lighting Wide Areas: Light up your outdoor space to make the whole area glow and not just to illuminate the water feature. Use varying types and colors of lights in different locations throughout the landscape to achieve this.
Lighting Objects: When uplighting objects that are man-made, use a warm (yellow/orange) light. However, when illuminating natural items, use cool (white/blue) light. Plan the lighting before installing everything to be sure the lights will be in the correct location and properly illuminating those objects.
Balanced Lighting: Be sure you’ll light up as much as possible to create a full effect—but do it symmetrically.
Add Depth to Exterior Lighting: Don’t just illuminate the house, but also the plants and/or features leading up to it to give the location a deeper look.
Creating Shadows: Shadows can bring an interesting dynamic to a landscape. One way this is achieved is by placing spotlights close to the foundation of a house shining upward to expose the texture of the stonework and create interesting shadows.
Hydrating Hydrangeas: It’s smart to think about what the plants in your yard look like in all four seasons. Sometimes lighting up plants that look good always can add curb appeal. A type of plant that is good for this is a bank of hydrangeas.
Creating a Silhouette: Be sure to illuminate the entire house to show the size, shape, and overall design of it. This gives an accurate depiction of the house at night instead of making it just look like a white-hot square.
Dramatic Doors: Lighting can be done in order to achieve a very dramatic effect. One way this was done was backlighting a narrow porch with pillars leading up to a door (instead of using spotlights). This created a sense of depth, making the eyes wander to what’s beyond them (aka the door).