Garden Lighting
Outdoor lighting has gone beyond a floodlight to get you from the front door to the car. Many new features, designs and options make garden lighting a decorative as well as a functional feature for your garden and your landscape as a whole. There are many different types of garden lighting to choose from.
Low Voltage Lighting
Low voltage garden lighting provides ample lighting without consuming mass amounts of electricity. Using a transformer that plugs into an existing outlet the voltage of the lights is reduced from the typical 110/120 to a mere 12 volts. This drastically reduces the power used.
Halogen and xenon bulbs both last longer and have a bright light; however the light fixtures for these bulbs are smaller. This type of lighting is usually associated with path lighting.
Path Lights
Path lights are important for safety around walkways and driveways and around any water features in your landscape, such as ponds or pools. Many path lighting sets are available in local hardware stores as DIY kits or through specialty lighting shops for more upscale path lights.
Path lights are basically very simple to install and while most do-it-yourself systems are solar powered and are simply pushed into the ground. These kits typically use rechargeable batteries and a small solar power cell that recharges the batteries.
Other path lighting kits are powered using low voltage transformers. If you decide on this for your garden lighting you might want a professional installation to help hide cords and wires.
Uplighting
If you desire your garden lighting to create a gentle glow rather than a bright illumination, you might consider Uplighting. Uplighting softly casts a glow upwards onto your home or into trees without the actual light source being seen.
This type lighting creates a focal point on the subject, such as a gazebo, garden, path or pond with a moonlight effect rather than a spot light effect. Uplighting can also be used as path lighting as long as there is enough uplights installed to illuminate the path.
Water Lights
Garden lighting is also available that is submersible in water. This feature allows you to add garden lighting to your ponds and pools. This lighting feature can add focus on a particular underwater object or just be used to cast reflection across the water.
Tiki Lighting
Tiki torches as garden lighting has become more popular in recent years. Tiki torches are typically powered by lamp oil and some also contain bug repellent for yard activities. Tiki torches come in a variety of materials from natural wood to metal that lasts for years. Tiki torches add a special touch to themed parties and gatherings.
Colored Lights
Garden lighting options are also available as colored lights. Add a brilliant blue hue to your pond or a subtle red to your garden statues. The availability of fiber optics and colored bulbs make adding colored lights as simple as changing the bulb.
Garden lighting is a feature for you landscape that goes beyond just lighting for safety purposes. Bringing your landscape to life at night adds dimension and character to your yards and allows you to bring the indoor gathering outside without being in the dark.
-Sharon V Chapman
Jun 17 2010
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