Guests arriving at your house in the darkness are first greeted by your outside lighting, as they leave it is the last thing they see. The lighting you choose for your garden areas are more than just illumination for the dark, it is an unspoken testament of your personality. Your garden lighting, while functional, should also be a reflection of your personality and design taste.

Garden lighting allows you to create subtle works of art in and around your flowerbeds and yard sculptures. From hidden, recessed ground lights shining softly on flower beds to brighter lasts casting shadows of trees on exterior walls. Softly colored lighting can bring an air of romance to sitting areas and water features.

Your garden lighting should be more than just lights to show visitors how to find their way. It should be a decorative element, an extension of your taste. You can choose to follow your interior theme and make an outdoor version or you can go in a totally different direction. The main point it to make your garden lighting more than just lights, make it a part of your home’s decor.

You can choose to follow the trend that uses flood lighting and ground level landscape lights to softly brighten your home’s landscape and design. This trend focuses light on your taste in architecture and showcases your home and yard.

The second garden lighting trend focuses your lighting on wall fixtures or post type lights that add a decorative element in addition to adding lighting to your garden. There are many different types of lighting fixtures available that add décor to your yard.

You can find them in modern designs and shapes or rustic, days-gone-by designs. Traditionally outdoor wall lighting has always been bronze and used electricity. Today, you can find outdoor lighting that is cast aluminum, cast iron, solar powered and even natural gas flame. No matter what choice you make you are adding a touch of your personality to your garden lighting scheme.

In addition to considering the decorative possibilities of garden lighting, you should also consider the safety implications of your garden lighting. If you have foot paths you might want to add ground level lighting to help your guests see where they are going. Homes with pools should consider lighting to illuminate the pool area and prevent people from accidentally falling into the pool.

There is another safety aspect to consider when choosing garden lighting, the safety of the lighting itself. You can’t just plug household lights up outside. Outdoor lighting should be rated by the Underwriter’s Laboratory for use outside. This insures that it is capable of withstanding weather factors, especially rain and other water factors.

Garden lighting is practical and pretty, a way to lead your guests to your home while showing off your garden and your décor style. Have fun designing your garden lighting while being safe with your lighting choices.

-Sharon Chapman