Planning and equipping a garden with lighting that can enhance the many qualities that are seen easily during the day can be very challenging. An individual must take time to plan on the location and use of their garden lights before they begin the process of installing them.
The first step is to walk around your house and through your garden during the day with a camera. Find the focal points in your garden that you would like to highlight then take a picture of the plant, shrub, etc., from the angle where you might want to put a light to highlight or showcase that item. It will be much easier for you to decide where to place the lights if you take pictures from different angles where the lights would be placed. The picture will reflect where light will fall when the lamp is in that spot.
Part of the process of installing lights is also identifying and lighting the perimeter of the home. Those areas that are not well lit at night or have older lights and fixtures should be re-configured for the newer lower voltage halogen lights. Halogen security lights burn for up to 5, 000 hours and can have additional safety features built in which will protect a homeowner and the property.
Solar lighting is gaining in popularity and many advances have been made in the technology of these lights. But, for a garden that is located in an area that does not get sunlight during the winter the lights prove less than effective. The batteries of these lights do not hold a charge and they do not hold up as well in harsh weather conditions as low voltage lighting does.
Getting a plot map of the lot that has the details of the buildings and gardens that are on it will help you if you are going to need to install low voltage conduits for your lights. Mark the map with the areas where you want perimeter lighting to go. These lights will be brighter and are sometimes called security lights. They most probably will be mounted on the walls of the home and will be connected directly to the home's electrical current.
Low voltage lights have been designed specifically for use on garden pathways and steps. These lights create soft pools which light the way for people walking along a path or coming up the steps of a home. When looking for these lights it is important to test the light and make sure that no light escapes from the encasement upward. In wet climates or areas that may flood one will want to get lights that have been rated for marine use. These lights are water resistant and will remain intact through harsh winters.
Using up lights to focus attention on specific items in the garden or create a dramatic effect is affordable and easily accomplished with the use of low voltage up lights. The encasement of these lights is made so that it can be partially submerged in soil by shrubbery and is not noticeable to a daylight observer.
Down lights are more expensive than traditional porch lights. However they produce the same effective. Down lights do not emit glare on the street or sidewalk when they are on. They focus the light directly downwards with a pool forming below the area they are spotlighting.
When a plan has been drawn and a person has figured out how big the task will be to install garden lights they may choose to call a professional for assistance. For large yards there may be the need to lay electrical conduit and test outlets which should always be done by someone knowledgeable and trained in this area. For the smaller garden one may want to begin the project themselves by purchasing the necessary kits to do a small part of the garden to see if it is something they feel comfortable doing.
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When deciding on the garden lights that are right for you, be sure to check out Abel Brockman's website about outdoor garden lights and purchasing solar garden lighting in your area.
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