Landscape Lighting
July 18, 2010
Landscaping Lights Uplighting, Downlighting, Moonlighting Illuminate Areas for Safety, Security and Aesthetics
Landscape lighting could be one of the least understood and overlooked areas of a home landscape design.
The popularity of outdoor landscape lighting continues to grow. Very often you see outdoor lights commonly know as Malibu landscape lights installed in the "runway effect" or landscape path lights lining a pool walkway. When the sun goes down the solar powered system lights come on. Usually these outdoor fixtures don’t highlight any particular element in the landscape – they just light up.
Landscape lights provide numerous benefits for modern homeowners including safety, energy efficient and economical.
Low voltage landscape lights can increase security outdoors by discouraging potential intruders, light up paths, pools, drives and entry areas. Your landscape design can take on dramatic new "moon lite" looks and showcase architectural features and plant silhouettes with dramatic lighting techniques. The lighting ideas are endless.One common idea or technique – uplighting – focuses light and directs attention on an object such as a shrub, tree or landscape additions like an arbor or gazebo. Depending on the size, maturity and location of a plant a bullet or well type outdoor lighting fixture could be specified. It all depends on what needs to be illuminated outdoors.
When lighting a landscape path or walkway to an from a deck or patio where safe night access is required outdoors low voltage light fixtures direct light down and outward. To prevent glare the fixtures are shielded on top.
Downlighting, or moonlighting is a design technique that illuminates general outdoor areas for safety, security and aesthetics. Bullet type fixtures and lamps are selected for the required brightness and amount of illumination. These lamps are usually placed above eye level.
