Outdoor Landscape Lighting Ideas

Outdoor landscape lighting is wonderful way to enhance the beautiful exterior surroundings of your house. Outdoor landscape lighting brings out all the detail and colors not only of your house but also your creative outdoor decorations so you can also enjoy them when the sun goes down. Since most of us enjoy being outdoors during the evening hours what better way to warm up the colors in the garden or create an inviting place to gather than with some outdoor lighting.

Homeowners along with commercial owners use landscape lighting for more than one reason. The first would be to make the appearance of the home or business more appealing and to boost the curb appeal. The next reason is to ensure the safety of those who come for business or just a visit. The right type of lighting and fixture can create a welcoming appearance and tranquil mood to any home or business. You have to be very careful not to position the lights so they give off a glare and take away the theme that you are trying to create with your outdoor landscape lighting designs; you also do not want to create shadows that could end up being problems.

Security devices, such as motion detectors, floodlights, and spotlights will give you the knowledge that you have some safety around the perimeter of your home. Path lights around your gardens will accent the foliage and colors of the flowers; path lighting on your walkways not only highlights the foliage along the path but guides your visitors safely around the yard and gardens. Wall fixtures and hanging lanterns can send a soft touch of light over porches, patios, and decks and using dimmer switches on these devices can create a bit of ambience to any outdoor living space. Using different styles of outdoor landscape lighting fixtures can create not only safety but also relaxing and entertaining spaces for your front yard and backyard landscape.  

When you start planning your outdoor landscape lighting design you may think it best to place many lights throughout your home environment. You really do not want to light-up the entire neighborhood, so keep in mind that 'less is more'. If you use your lights sparingly and placed in the right locations you will end up with much better results. You can create a moon light effect on different features of your garden by placing the light source high on a tree or tall shrub and aim the light through the foliage or branches at a flower garden or outdoor decoration. The moon light effect will look even better if you could hide the light fixture so all you would see at night is the light itself.

Some objects in your landscape will look better with an uplighting effect; these objects are usually the ones that are standing above the plane of the main landscaping, such as gazebos, arbors, tall plants and trees. To achieve this type of lighting you can use a ground mounted well light that you can project upward to highlight that particular object. You can highlight tree branches, groups of shrubs, and ornamental grasses by using uplighting. The water features in your landscape can be lighted by inserting submersible lighting in the water.  

Downlighting is accomplished by placing light fixtures low on a wall or tree so it will create 'path lighting' when aimed at a walkway or pathway; this will also work if aimed at a flower garden so it will highlight the entire garden. Placing these same lights higher will give off the moonlight effect. Placing these lights on a post or wall will illuminate entry ways, fences, railings, or driveways. Downlighting is also used to light up areas for safety and security.

Spotlights when used correctly are a good way of highlighting the overall look of your outdoor environment. Landscape spotlights often are staked into the ground and get used for uplighting, highlighting, shadowing, or spotlighting. Spotlights are used for casting light on a wall, house, outdoor decorations and tall trees in the garden. You want to position the light so it will shine completely on a focal point to minimize any glare. Colored filters on the spotlights such as yellow, blue, and red can bring out any hidden characteristics of the object you are highlighting. Spotlights and floodlights also work well as security lights for your home. Just remember your outdoor landscape lighting should not light up an entire neighborhood, just the special features of your home for entertaining, safety and security.