Ideas | Pre-Design Checklist . Selecting Materials . How To Use Lighting . Before and After . The Right Garden For You
How to use lighting.
Consider the use of lighting for the following:
In a pool or pond:
Use submersible lights to illuminate water views. Nighttime can be a wonderful time to view fish and blooming water plants. Pools demand to be lit, for safety considerations.
For magical entertaining after dusk:
Consider the use of low voltage lights near stairs, driveways and seating, and spotlights near cooking areas or activity areas like a basketball court. Floodlights can be used to illuminate patios, and can be mounted on house eaves as well as tree limbs or lamp posts.
To prevent accidents:
Lighting is a must anywhere people walk after dark, particularly if there is a change in levels, due to stairs or slopes. Light driveways, pathways to the house, steps, pools, and dark spots. You can install photocells to automatically illuminate the house after dusk, or motion detectors to light automatically when someone enters the area.
Lighting Styles and Patterns
Uplighting: Highlights garden sculptures and plants, usually through canister type fixtures.
Downlighting: Spotlights an area and fills it with light; can be standard voltage to illuminate for walking, or dimmer to shed light on a garden ornament.
Sidelighting: Can accentuate an item or plant, as well as walkways. For paths, the lights should be high enough to see when snow falls.
Silhouetting: Effective with plants with unusual forms or outlines.
Power Requirements
Standard voltage: uses 120 volt currency. This is best used for lighting up driveways, garages, pools, and entryways. Motion detectors are a good idea for these areas. You may also want to consider lighting for you garden shed, so you can see to put away the garden tools when you've stayed out in the garden too late.
Installing outdoor lighting is best left to professionals. If you want the bright lighting of a 120 volt system, A Yard & A Half can dig trenches to bury wires encased in waterproof conduits. This kind of lighting is very hard to move after it is placed in the ground; careful placement prior to hardscape construction is an important consideration. A licensed electrician is needed to make the final electrical connection and fixture hook-up.
Low voltage lighting: for areas that only need minimal illumination, low voltage lighting offers soft light without risk of injury.
