Top Tips to Consider When Shopping for Landscape Lighting

When it comes to creating a great outdoor atmosphere in your own home, there’s no better way to do it than with landscape lighting. Whether you’re searching for a practical lighting solution to add visibility to the walkways and pathways of your garden or want to create a beautiful, warm glow to your outdoor living area, the right lighting will transform your garden from dull to delightful. Shopping for landscape lighting can be confusing and overwhelming, with so many styles, shapes, and sizes available. Luckily, knowing a few top tips can help simplify and streamline your shopping journey and ensure you get the lighting solutions that perfectly suit your needs. Read on for our insider tips on what to look for when shopping for landscape lighting.

Lighting Types

When it comes to lighting types for your landscape, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Pathway Lights: Designed to blend into with your garden's foliage and provide visibility on pathways. Pathway lights are an excellent way to not only light your walkways but add a touch of elegance to your garden. Look for light fixtures that are constructed of corrosion-resistant material, like aluminum or brass, so you’re sure they will stay shining and bright for years to come.

Deck and Patio Lights: Deck and Patio lights are designed to bring light to the sides of decks and patio spaces in your garden, around trees and uplighting from your flower beds for a fun look. Look for fixtures that offer a balanced combination of brightness and beam spread, to ensure the right amount of light to your outdoor space.

Lighting Techniques

There’s an art to outdoor lighting that no homeowner should underestimate. Knowing the right lighting techniques not only ensures you get the brightness you’re looking for, but it can enhance your garden, too.

Downlighting: This technique results in a soft, ambient glow to your outdoor space and is ideal to illuminate pathways and steps. It’s best used for lower wattages for a softer look and feel.

Uplighting: Ideal to bring attention to a specific focal point in your garden, like a tree or garden sculpture, uplighting creates bolder shadows and a more dramatic effect.

Sidelighting: A versatile technique, sidelighting works on both flat and three-dimensional objects. Using this technique ensures that walls, arches, and other water features in your garden are illuminated with the perfect combination of brightness and shadow.

Style

When shopping for landscape lighting, it’s important to select fixtures that are in line with the overall style of your garden. Do you have an English garden? Look for classic, vintage-style fixtures. Are your flowers and foliage colorful and eye-catching? Look for fixtures that can enhance their color tones. Selecting pieces that fit in with your garden's existing design gives your outdoor lighting a more unified look and feel.

Performance

When selecting landscape lighting fixtures, performance isn’t something you want to compromise on. You want to make sure that you choose a fixture that is both durable and reliable. Look for LED landscape lighting that provides high levels of efficiency and longevity. LED lights are a great option because you get bright, energy-saving light that can withstand the elements and be operated for 10-15 years with minimal maintenance. 

Energy Efficiency

Not only should your lighting be easy on the eye, but it should also be easy on your wallet. Look for fixtures that are Energy Star Certified to ensure they meet the highest energy efficiency standards. Utilizing energy-saving LED lighting can save you up to 80% of electricity consumption and save you money in the long-run.

Safety and Security

Your outdoor lighting should provide more than just a pretty glow in your garden; it should also provide safety and security in the case of a power outage. Look for landscape lighting fixtures that come with automatic settings for both dusk to dawn lighting or motion sensors for pathways or driveways. This ensures that a power outage won’t leave you in the dark, and that your pathways are lit up whenever someone walks by them. 

Additional Features

When it comes to outdoor lighting, modern technology gives homeowners the opportunity to enhance their outdoor experience beyond just basic lighting. Look for features like dimmable lighting and multiple-color LED’s, which allow you to switch up your lighting style to fit the occasion.

Selecting The Right Contractor

Finding the perfect landscape lighting for your garden is only half the battle. Choosing the right contractor to install your lighting solutions is just as important. While there are plenty of “Do-It-Yourself” options for those who want to take on the installation themselves, if you’re wanting a more professional job, we highly recommend you look for a licensed electrician. An electrician will know exactly how to properly install and wire the fixtures to your home, making sure your landscape lighting is safe and secure for years.

Conclusion

Shopping for landscape lighting is no easy task. With so many styles, shapes, and sizes to choose from, it can often be confusing and overwhelming. Having all the insider’s knowledge, however, ensures you get the perfect lighting fixtures for your outdoor area. Utilising the tips given, from knowing the right type of lighting to look for to the importance of selecting the correct contractor, ensures that your garden gets the look you’re hoping for.