Landscape Lighting

Functions of Landscape Lighting

Well-placed lights highlight steps, walkways, and entry areas. This reduces the chance of falls and makes walking at night easier.

A well-lit home is not attractive to intruders! Good lighting is one of the most effect deterrents to crime. Motion-activated lights are especially useful for this purpose.

Well-designed landscape lighting increases the beauty of the garden at night. Natural forms are emphasized and dramatized with good lighting.

Types of Garden Lights

The best designs use a mixture of light types to create different effects in separate areas. The result is a harmonious overall picture.

Downlights are placed above an area or object with the light aimed downward. Street lights and security spotlights are typical examples of downlights. With careful placement and shielding of the fixture, special moonlight effects can be created.

Backlights are placed behind beautifully-shaped plants or objects to create a striking silhouette. The fixture should be hidden to produce the best effect. Small spotlights and in-ground fixtures are often used for this purpose.

Uplights are placed at ground level with the light aimed upward to highlight chosen features. Specimen trees and garden sculpture are often dramatized with uplights.

Path lights are placed along sidewalks and driveways at a height just above grade level. They guide people safely from one location to another. The fixtures are generally low and shielded at the top to provide a soft, spreading light.

Specialty lights are used to create a mood. They can be light strings, torches, or even underwater lights. Although some specialty lights are installed permanently, they are often added to the garden for a special event and chosen to enhance the theme of a party.

Lighting Sources

Line voltage lights use the same 120-volt electrical current as the house. These lights must be installed by professionals. Most traditional landscape lighting systems were line voltage systems.

Low-voltage lighting systems use a transformer to drop the 120-volt house current to 12 volts, about the amount of electricity used for a train set or car battery. Many do-it-yourselfers install their own low-voltage lighting systems. This is the most popular landscape lighting for homeowners today.

Solar lights use a photovoltaic cell to charge a battery that is part of the light fixture. At night, the recharged battery provides enough electricity of operate the light. No wiring or external power source is needed. Most solar lights will run for eight to ten hours if they have received a full day of direct sunlight.

Designing with Light

As with all design choices, your individual preferences are your best guidelines. However, there are a few points to consider when planning landscape lighting:

• Don’t place lights so that they will shine into your windows, or your neighbors’ windows.
• Consider the needs of your plants. While most plants are not disturbed by night lights, some will have their growth or bloom cycles disrupted by light during the night.
• Choose fixtures attractive in the day as well as at night. A huge range of materials and styles is available.
• Uniformly-spaced path lights can make your sidewalk look like an airport runway. Instead, vary the placement and height of fixtures.
• Too many bright lights will make your home look like a commercial establishment.
• Unshielded lights will produce an unpleasant glare.