Not only is garden lighting functional, many landscapers consider it a kind of art. The best lighting does more than just make a yard visible at night; it adds color and depth to your property. As interest in lighting has increased, more and more magazines and web sites have begun to devote space to best practices in garden lighting. There, one can find guidance on how to make their yard look larger, how to decide which features to light, and where lights should be placed for optimum efficacy.
When adding lights, make sure that they will enhance the features already present in your yard. The goal is not to mimic the daytime conditions, but rather to create a unique night time look. When lighting a formal garden, for instance, it is generally best to stick to unobtrusive, white lights. Most formal gardens are lit by lights that are mounted at either ground level, near a path, or those that are made for use with fountains or ponds. Informal gardens may be lit with colored lights that are placed in unexpected ways to play with shadows and perspectives.
Home and garden magazines often devote some space each month to garden lighting, but some home landscapers find their pages to be limiting. More casual discussions may be found on message boards, whether through the site of a favorite magazine or one that is run by a third party. The back and forth discussion with fellow gardeners that these sites provide can be an invaluable tool in designing a one-of-a-kind lighting scheme. On these boards, one can often find experts who are more than willing to share their expertise on choosing lights with the correct wattage and safely wiring your garden.
There is no correct or incorrect way to install garden lighting. With a little guidance, anyone can make a plan that will complement their yard.