A home garden is the pride of every homeowner. For every nature lover, it becomes his/her own refuge where he/she relaxes within nature’s embrace. The vibrant color palette on the flower beds, the pergola with intertwined vines, and a tree casting an overwhelmingly majestic shadow over it, everything looks gorgeous in the daylight. And at sundown, it can look even livelier with the right garden lighting setting a surreal ambiance for a backyard retreat with a dining and entertainment area with family and friends.
Garden landscape lighting illuminates the outdoor space with an all-new brilliance. With complementing outdoor lighting design, it enhances the curb appeal and also deters potential vandals or burglars.
Table of Contents
- Landscape Path Lighting
- Tree and Accent Lighting
- Hardscape Lighting - Steps, Decks, Patio, and Pergola
- In-ground lighting - Landscape Features, Outdoor Living Areas & Pathways
- Lighting the Water bodies
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How to do Garden Landscape Lighting?
It involves highlighting the garden landscape design in a way that looks warm and inviting for a relaxing stroll, dining, or fun time with family and friends. The following mentioned are the ways to add a mystical charm to your garden area:
1. Landscape path lighting:
Illuminating the pathways, walkways, and garden edges with bollards and post-mounted fixtures is both functional and appealing. It is essential that any pathway light should complement the rest of the front yard décor. There are many techniques that can add a romantic element to the walkways around your home:
a. Path and Spread Lighting: It gently washes the area with a broad blanket of subtle illumination.
b. Staggered Lights: They are along both sides of the path to create a sense of balance and harmony. Consider setting lights slightly back from a walkway. They will light the way, and also highlight adjacent plantings rather than your pathway material.
How to Space Landscape Path Lights?
The Kichler recommends that for a 70’ walkway, path lights (with a pool of light of 10’ in diameter) should be installed at least 6” away from the edge of the pathway. The space between fixtures should be 15’, using a center-to-center measurement. It will leave a gap of 2’-5’ between pools of light while illuminating the sidewalk properly.
Linear Lighting: The lights are installed on the same side along the pathway. Similarly, by placing the fixtures at 12’, the gap between pools of light would end up being just over 2’ on the near side of the walk and 9’ on the side of the walk.
Bollards For Path Lighting Recommendation:
- Kichler Landscape Path Integrated LED Light
The path lighting fixture is Kichler Landscape Path Integrated LED light in textured architectural bronze. Its uncomplicated design only adds to its grace and versatility.
- Hinkley Mushroom Path Lighting (Low Voltage)
With its minimalistic sleek design, the Mushroom path light from Hinkley impeccably complements contemporary outdoor architecture. Standing 26" tall, it is made of die-cast aluminum with a bronze finish which adds sophistication to the home outdoors and its curb appeal. The 120-volt lighting gracefully illuminates the walkways with the desired touch of warmth and elegance.
Lamp Posts for Path Lighting
This is a subtle way of illuminating a pathway in large areas if you do not want to install many fixtures along your walkway. You can use one or several, depending on the length of the path. Pole, pier-mounted, and surface outdoor posts are counted as one of the best landscape lighting ideas that convey elegance in form and excellence in functionality.
Hinkley CASA
Hinkley Casa is a Mediterranean-styled outdoor lamp post that shines brilliantly through light amber etched glass. The curled and twisted accents and old black finish makes it even more graceful.
2. Tree and Accent Lighting
Lighting a tree can add a fascinating element to your garden with accent lights. The popular ways of doing so are uplighting and downlighting.
- Uplighting: It adds a more dramatic effect and the bright light makes the tree the focal point for the entire outdoor landscape lighting. This technique is more complicated than it seems and it varies more with the tree type. Experiment with different viewing angles and keep the contrast of light and shadow to add a dimension to your garden.
- Downlighting: It makes the space more inviting and amiable for social gatherings. Keeping it subtle can create the impression of moonlight and with a gentle breeze branches and leaves cast an enchanting play of shadows.
How to do Accent Lighting for Outdoor Space?
The landscape accent lighting can provide you endless possibilities to illuminate your home’s exterior with techniques including moon-lighting, wall-washing, silhouette lighting, shadowing and more.
a. Wall-Washing Lighting
Delivering a subtle light to a wide area, close to the structure, this technique creates minimal hot spots and density.
b. Grazing
This technique adds depth and dimension to the stonework or architectural features with creepers and vines growing on it.
c. In-ground Lighting
This is another popular technique to illuminate sidewalks and large mature trees.
d. Shadowing
This technique directs the eye to the textures, shapes, and height differences of items in plant beds, adding depth and ambiance.
e. Silhouette Lighting
Draw attention to an interesting shape by lighting a vertical surface behind the object to accent that unique shape. It creates a charming outline of trees and plants growing close to walls.
f. Hardscape Lighting
Highlight stone features, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, steps, handrails, benches, and more.
3. Hardscape Lighting
Recessed, surface, and wall lights fixtures including wall sconces are generally recommended for exterior lighting options for illuminating the hardscape areas in the garden.
- Step Lights
The Eurofase Perma wall sconce spreads a welcoming glow to the entrance of your home. This unique square-shaped fixture can be shifted at 300° angle giving light to where you desire. Featuring a frosted shade, it is constructed from high corrosion-resistant cast aluminum with graphite gray powder coating paint to ensure extra durability.
- For Deck and Patio
An understated, transitional style Kichler moon wall sconce is a beautiful outdoor lighting fixture in a centennial brass finish for the deck and patio. Powered by energy-efficient LED bulbs, it accentuates architectural details and lights up outdoor living spaces. The strategic lighting design can bring comfort and allow you to grill and host guests late into the night.
4. In-ground Garden Lights
Since in-ground lights or well lights are installed and concealed within the ground, they are less likely to get damaged by footsteps and lawn care activities around. These below-ground fixtures can bring a dramatic lighting effect to the space. They are even popular choices for illuminating atriums and pergolas.
5. Outdoor Lighting Ideas for the Water Bodies
Accent and ground lighting can create beautiful effects with the play of light through leaves or water bringing a sense of calm and wonder to the garden.
- Mirror Lighting:
Lighting background areas around water bodies creates a dream-like water scene reflecting the landscape off the water.
- Moon Lighting:
Illuminating the tree by installing a light fixture high captures the details of branches and leaves, emulating the look of moonlight.
- Underwater Lighting:
Installing an accent light or in-ground light in the flowing water of fountains, waterfalls, and streams creates a magical mirroring effect.
How your garden is resplendently nurtured and glows up says volumes of the homeowner’s personality. You can outshine the neighborhood with your home's outdoor landscape lighting scheme oozing relaxing radiance in the dark of the night.
