A Beginner’s Guide on Lighting Your Landscape

 Landscape lighting might be the only missing feature to improve the look of your home. Landscaping with light, or light scaping, may seem challenging at first but do not worry. Here is a beginner’s guide on how to light your landscape.

Where Should You Put the Lights?

With landscaping, lighting is an essential factor. The question now is where should you put the lights to create the mood that you want to set. Here are some tips that you may want to consider:

  • Determine the defining characteristics that you want your yard to have. It may be a waterfall feature or a particular tree. Good lighting will accentuate them.
  • Highlight specific areas that are unnoticeable during the day. A simple wall can have a brand new look at night when played with lights and shadows.
  • Increase function with the use of pathways or stairs. Adding the proper lighting will ensure safety to this feature.

Recommended read: 10 Important Things to Consider When Planning Your Landscape Design

How to Use Light in Landscaping?

Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/park-garden-plant-night-dark-3508018/

Lighting is essential in landscaping to achieve the look you want to create. There are various kinds of landscape lighting. Each one gives a specific effect that adds more value to the beauty of the landscaping. Here are some of the best effects and the appropriate kind of lighting that goes well with it:

  • Silhouetting: The most favorite effect of landscape lighting is silhouetting. It is an effect that hides during the day but creates a fantastic effect at night. To create silhouettes, put the light source behind a solid structure, plant, or tree. Then, aim the light at your targeted area. It is best if the light source goes unnoticed at night. Spotlights and well lights are most suitable for this effect.
  • Shadowing: Shadowing is the opposite of silhouetting. It gives off a softer and more subtle mood. Shadowing works if you have a flat structure behind the item that you want to highlight. It is best achieved through the use of floodlights, spotlights, and well lights.
  • Uplighting: Uplighting is one of the most used techniques in landscaping. It is done to add drama for tall trees and structures. The best kind of lighting to get the ideal look is with spotlights and wall lights.
  • Moon Lighting: Moon lighting is best for large trees and structures. The light source should be above the targeted item. This technique will give a fantastic effect at night, particularly when placed above open-branched trees. Moon lighting is sufficient with spotlights.
  • Washing: Washing aims to make a certain area well-lit. A floodlight is commonly used to create the effect.

Recommended read: How to Illuminate Your Yard with Landscape Lighting

Takeaway Tip

You have now the basic guidelines on how to use lighting to upscale your front yard. There are many ways to utilize lights, shadows, and silhouettes. A consultation with a houston landscape lighting expert is essential to achieve the best look that you are aiming for.

Robert Huff Landscape Illumination offers you a 30-years worth of experience in houston landscape lighting. We can make sure to provide you with quality service and superb professional care. Visit our office at 1636 W. Sam Houston Parkway N. Houston, Texas. You may click here to see our exact office location on the map.