Placing your lighting for landscaping can both help change the way that your garden looks during the day, but can lend it almost magical qualities in the evening and during the night. Most people are a bit disappointed at first to find that most landscape lighting is very muted and yellowed in color than other types of lighting, however, this helps to combine with the foliage and darkness of nighttime to create a completely different garden. If you already have lighting goals for your yard, the next thing you would think about is the type of lights you want to use. Making a sketch plan would help you determine what is the best landscape lighting for your yard.
Check out here our tips on where should outdoor landscape lights be placed and how do you make landscape lights for your garden.
1. Along Paths
The first place that you want to place lights is along any path. Make sure to space them at least 8 inches but no more than 18 inches apart. Placing them about 6 inches out from the path in beds that adjoin the path will give you a more romantic look. Placing the lighting directly along the path will make it very bright and should usually be done with the light clumped closer together to create the desired impact.
2. Under Decks
While you will usually have some kind of patio and deck lighting, many people forget to light the underneath of their deck. If you live on a lake, spend a lot of time on your deck, or just want to make it easier to host events, this is a very important type of lighting. Putting lights underneath allows the entire structure to glow, creating a central point for family and guests to congregate to, while still allowing you to keep the lighting dim and intimate. On the water, the glow will help extend the reflection and allow the lights to dance on the water, making it a bit more magical.
3. Towards The Back
The back area of the garden is often the one that people ignore and assume doesn’t need any work. This couldn’t be farther from the truth and most people will actually feel that their garden is a bit creepy if there isn’t any lighting towards the back of their property. Usually lighting in the back areas of a garden should be on a timer or somewhat automated, making solar lights that automatically come on at dusk a great option.
Try to avoid placing the lights directly against fences, and instead put them about 2 feet into the yard. This should be about the depth of bushes, beds, or benches, making it easy to line up the lighting. Place them about three to four feet apart, ensuring that the entire area is slightly light, but that the area still remains slightly darker than the rest of the yard. Another option is hanging fairy lights from the trees, which helps create a far-away and removed from the world feeling for the back areas of your garden.
4. Near Water
Homes that have water such as a pond, lake, fountain, or even birdbath can benefit from lighting around the water. Not only will this often help scare off bugs and allow native species to drink and be seen by humans, but lights also make the water seem more inviting and beautiful. This is one place that colored lighting is a great idea, with recessed options in blue, green, pink, and even purple being favored by some of the major names in design.
It will look more beautiful if you put the lights on the right angle. Figure out how far apart should you place landscape lights and see how the lights flow together to give it a great impact on your garden. Fountains do well with lighting at the base, while ponds and the like should have lighting placed on their shores, about a foot away from the edge. Raised lighting like torches and hanging lights work particularly well for water features.
5. Higher on Slopes
If you have to choose between putting lighting at the top of a slope or at the bottom, always put it at the top. This will allow it to spill down the entire area, but will also keep it from being too harsh. Placing it at the top also makes it easier to chase away gloomy shadows and to save on lighting costs.
Many people want to make their home look amazing and realize that outdoor landscape lighting is important, however many people make mistakes by putting in too many lights or light that is harsher than it needs to be. To make it done right, consider hiring a professional. There are lots of lighting companies right there that can do the job for you at reasonable prices. If you are living in Spring Texas, you can look for Spring TX commercial lighting.
Always remember that less is more and that light doesn’t necessarily need to overlap in order to get the desired effect within the garden.