The proper lighting can add great value and visual appeal to your landscape. There are many attractive lighting options to choose from no matter what your landscape size, style, outdoor activities, or budget.
Why You Need Landscape Lighting
Adding lights to your landscape does much more than just allow you to see. Carefully chosen and properly positioned, landscape lighting can…
- Highlight specimen plants and other points of interest
- Enhance curb appeal from different angles
- Increase security at vulnerable points of your property
- Improve safety along walkways, paths, and stairs
- Complement entertaining and outdoor living areas
Which type of lighting you choose will largely depend on what you want your lights to accomplish, and many different lights can serve multiple purposes.
Landscape Lighting Options
There are many different lighting styles to choose from for every landscape, with different bulb styles, brightness levels, wattages, energy efficiency ratings, and more. Some lights may be integrated into the landscape and hardwired in place, while others can be solar-powered and may be more flexible for changes and adjustments. Lights can even be rigged with motion sensors, timers, and other programs. But which lights should you choose?
- Spotlights – Individual spotlights are ideal for specimen lighting or highlighting the dramatic architecture of your home, terraces, or yard structures.
- Pathway Lighting – Make every step through your landscape safer with pathway lights, from stakes to ropes to luminarias, either on the ground or hung from shepherd’s hooks.
- Lanterns – Hanging lanterns add a rustic touch to trees, pergolas, and gazebos, or lanterns can be set on stairs or along paths for extra safety and security.
- Water Lights – Water features can be lit up with underwater or ambient lighting, adding a soft, relaxing glow to pools, hot tubs, waterfalls, ponds, and other liquid landscaping.
- String Lights – Add cozy, café-esque style to your yard with string lights, from Edison bulbs to novelty shapes that create a fun, whimsical atmosphere for entertaining.
- Torches – Tall torches add great drama to the landscape, perfect for illuminating corners, accenting turns, and brightening broad spaces.
- Lamp Posts – A lighted lamp post can be a nostalgic welcome to your yard, whether it is positioned at the end of a driveway, next to a gate, at a mailbox, or any entryway.
- Fire – Moving flames from a firepit, outdoor fireplace, fire ring, or even a bonfire adds drama to any landscape and can be a focal point for an outdoor gathering space.
- Holiday Lights – Keep fun holiday lighting in mind when you illuminate your landscape, and you can easily switch bulbs or add extra strands for seasonal splendor.
With so many different lighting options, you can find the perfect lights for any landscape. Consider combining different types to suit different parts of your yard, and customize a lighting scheme to show off your landscape with just the brightness you like best.
