In spring, we spend hours getting our gardens ready for the coming summer. It's the time to get out and enjoy all that hard work. After dark, a garden comes alive with proper lighting, highlighting special features. Beauty, however, is not the only function of landscape lighting.
Safety
Paths, walkways, and especially steps are important areas for outdoor lighting. But don't focus so much light on these elements that they look like airport runways. Along with porch and post lights, soft lighting along paths and steps should provide adequate light without casting harsh shadows.
Security
Sure, floodlights tucked under the eaves can scare even the most daring prowler, but they often make your home look like Fort Knox. Fixtures tucked in shrubs and trees around your home can provide the same results without glaring effects. Inexpensive electric eyes and motion sensors are great ways to control light, but think about installing automatic timers. Some can even be set to operate your system at different times each evening--a nice feature to have. It looks as if you're home even when you're not.
Getting Started
Before you purchase fixtures or start pulling wire, ask yourself three questions.
1. What do I want to light?
2. What function is my space going to serve?
3. How do I want to control the lights?
If you only want to enhance a focal point, a couple of well-placed downlights may be all you need. But if you'd like to highlight interesting plant forms, light a dark path, or create an outdoor living room, you'll need different types of lights placed in various parts of your garden.
When designing a plan, keep these key points in mind. Place fixtures properly. Often more lights with lower wattage will be better than fewer lights with high wattage.
Also, be sure that lights overlap. By spacing them too far apart, they will form individual pools of light and not blend seamlessly together. "Do some nighttime driving, and take notes on what you like and don't like," suggests Robert Pederson of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Alabaster, Alabama. "Remember that you are looking to create an effect, not showcase your fixtures."
