Smart homeowners invest in the kind of landscapes that are an absolute joy to be in during the day. But what happens when the sun goes down? If they’re not enjoying their Harrisburg, PA, landscape as much as they want to at night, they may not have realized why quality outdoor lighting is a must have for any landscaping project. You can change that with these essential points about the benefits of outdoor lighting in Harrisburg, PA.

Landscape Lighting: The Finishing Touch

Without the right lighting, some yards become downright scary at night. There’s often a lot of light around the patio (sometimes light that is harsh and creates areas of too much light, and stark shadows), but clearly not enough light in other places. 

So, the right landscape lighting is a must. Done right, landscape lighting brings a landscape to life after dark: It gives the right amount of lighting to enjoy time outdoors, highlights architectural features, and brings attention to interesting features in the landscape. That’s not something a few house-mounted lights can accomplish. 

Create Ambience

Use lights that are positioned near the ground in combination with a few downlights to create just enough light for safety, without giving people the feeling like they’re onstage in their own backyard. With today’s low-voltage lights, there’s also the option of choosing different bulb colors to achieve exactly the look you want.

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Highlight Special Features 

The use of well lights, downlights, and floodlights can give the features you have designed and installed new life after dark. If there’s a gnarled old tree that’s the main feature in the landscape, or a garden statue, this could be the perfect way to make it “pop” when night falls. For trees, use a combination of uplights that illuminate the foliage, as well as a few downlights to illuminate the trunk. 

Use Proper Spacing

For planting beds, space light fixtures at least 20 feet apart. This draws the eye from one plant to another, without being harsh.

Focus on Textures

You can bring attention to the textures of the home and garden walls with bullet lights, well lights, flood lights or washes. Positioning fixtures close to the base highlights textures. Use softer wash lights to fill in spaces between the stronger beams.

Show People the Way

Illuminate walkways and steps with lighting positioned at knee height or lower. This gives a sense of romance and mystery, and creates a safe walk without the danger of shadows. Lights can be stand-alone or mounted under the capstone of a garden wall. 

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Shine the Light on Water Features

You can make water features come to life with underwater lighting and spotlights. It’s magical to see the dance of shadows created by moving water!

Creating a “lightscape” takes both technical knowledge and artistry. It’s more than deciding on which areas or features you want to illuminate—it’s how you want to do it, and knowing which fixtures will do the job. Whether you want the illusion of moonlight beaming through a tree canopy to softly illuminating a romantic seating area or getting the right amount of light for the prep area in an outdoor kitchen, every single lighting experience is going to take a different type of fixture. Placement and the right bulb wattage is important too. For the best nighttime experience in your next landscape project, let our friendly and knowledgeable landscape supply experts guide you through the choices.

Image Source – Unilock