Landscape lighting is an essential part of having a beautiful yard. You’ll need it in the summer to keep your plants hydrated and the soil evenly light, and you’ll need it in the winter to illuminate your way home from school or work.
Landscape lighting isn’t just for landscapers — installing landscape lighting properly can transform your backyard into a magical place. Check out these tips for buying landscape lighting that will both fit in with your design aesthetic and provide you with great results each and every time.
What is landscape lighting?
Landscape lighting is a phrase that refers to the lighting used in front of gardens, landscapes, and patios. It can be categorized as either soft lighting or hard lighting.
Both types of lighting can be used to illuminate a particular area of your garden, but the main difference between the two is the purpose for which the illumination is used. The main benefits of soft light are maximized shadows and greater reflectivity on the parts of foliage and bedding plants; less light is wasted and longer-lasting light is produced.
The main advantage of hard lighting is increased intensity, with less light being reflected off the foliage and more being reflected back into the space from which it came.
Landscape lighting basics
The amount of light coming into a space is determined by a number of factors, including the seasons, the time of day, and the fixtures, lights, and plants used in the space.
To maximize the amount of light coming into a space, it’s helpful to choose fixtures that throw light in different directions. This is called directional lighting. The key thing to remember about landscape lighting is to choose fixtures that throw light in the direction you’ll be using it.
This means that generally speaking, soft light is better suited to the east, north, and west; whereas, hard lighting is better suited to the east, south, and west.
Considerations before buying landscape lighting
Choosing the right type of lighting for your space can be difficult. There are a number of factors that you’ll want to keep in mind, such as The budget: You’ll need to decide how much you’re willing to spend on landscape lighting.
If you’re thinking about going with the cheapest option available, you might spend more time repositioning your furniture when it gets hit by light than you would have with more expensive fixtures.
The style of your yard: Brighter gardens are more popular right now, so if you want to keep your lawn and borders dark, you’ll need to look out for yourself.
Your personal style: Some people prefer to use some form of lighting for the whole yard, rather than having it solely in one area. Others will only want to use lights in specific areas, particularly during the day when they’re not using the lights at night.
Finding the right kind of landscape lighting for your property
There are a number of factors to take into consideration when choosing the right kind of landscape lighting for your property. To make it easier, think about the different areas of your property and how you’ll use the lights.
For example Areas of the yard without trees: If you don’t want to light the entire yard with lights, you’ll want to pick a location where you won’t be using the lights for a while. This can be an ideal location to choose the east, north, or west.
Your location: To get the most benefit from your lights, you’ll want to position them so that they cast light in the correct direction. If you’re in the north, the east will be hot, and the west will be cold. On the other hand, if you’re in the south, the west will be cold, and the east will be hot.
Tips for buying landscape lighting that will both fit in with your design aesthetic and provide you with great results each and every time
When it comes to landscape lighting, there are a few design principles to keep in mind. It’s best to err on the side of adding light where you need it most — not taking it away.
You want to make sure that the areas where you’ll be installing lights are large enough so that you don’t need to stretch your arms to reach them.
For example, if your front yard has a flower border, you may want to keep the border intact so that there’s space for the lights to stay. As with most things in life, the smaller the venue, the more successfully you’ll perform. That’s why it’s best to plan your landscape lighting on a large enough scale to provide you with the amount of light you need. ***
