4 Garden Lighting Tips

Outdoor lighting is about more than just lighting a deck sitting area or ensuring you can barbeque after dark. Your landscaping deserves just as much attention as the areas you entertain, not only to ensure pathways and other features are well lit for safety reasons, but because creating an atmosphere where you want to relax and invite friends is important too.

There are four main types of lighting used for landscaping. The professionals at Landscape Lighting Ottawa are happy to come out and provide a free quote and detail the kind of lighting plan you’ll be happy with for years to come.

Placing lighting in a tree pointing down can provide an ethereal romantic effect. Placed higher up in the branches, downlighting can give the appearance of moon lighting. Mimicking real sources of light with the reliability of artificial lighting, is a continuing trend in landscape lighting design.

Other kinds of downlighting include lanterns and posts that have shields that point light toward the ground. You don’t want pathway lighting to blind your guests but rather light the ground at their feet. These lighting options can be subtle and appear natural, or they can add character and ambiance to a landscape by featuring designs that tie into your home or deck.

Up lighting is exactly what it seems, it’s light placed on a low source pointed upwards. Most homeowners want to minimize the amount of visible lighting hardware, but up lights placed on the ground to shine up at a tree trunk, or through interesting foliage doesn’t have to be in your face. These lights can be hidden and appear to be part of the environment. Any interesting texture or feature could use some up lighting if it’s done tastefully.

Pathway lights can be installed flush with the walkway to provide a reliable source of light that won’t be damaged by bicycles or other play hazards, and can highlight unique features such as flagstone pathways and moss covered cobblestone.

Outdoor lighting design has come a long way very quickly. Purchasing pots and other architectural elements for your yard or garden that light up are interesting and eye catching. Professionally installed lighting will always last longer. Post lights are great along a garden edge, driveway or pathway, and come in a wide variety of designs. You don’t have to choose the standard bland post light anymore, now there are fixtures that will match almost any design from contemporary to historical.

Some of the more unique designs feature lights embedded flush in posts and pillars on the deck or along a fence. Subtle lighting effects can blend seamlessly with the natural look of your home.

String lights offer a lot of versatility to a garden space. Hung from the lower branches of a tree will create a romantic source of lighting. Strung along a fence is a great way to highlight the greenery or foliage there. This is the lighting easiest to experiment with to arrive at the perfect effect.

Be sure to visit our gallery for lighting ideas. Now is the time to have professional landscape lighting installed so you can enjoy it all summer long!With our professional Installation, our Ottawa Landscape Lighting team is often done in a short period of time and we’re always careful not to cause damage to your landscaping. Contact us today for a free quote!