Landscape Lighting Planning and Design - Part 1
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A properly designed landscape with appropriate outdoor lighting is a source of enjoyment for the entire family. It also enhances the utility and security of your property and adds to the resale value.
However landscape design and the design of outdoor lighting to go with it involves much more than just placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property together with a few solar lights or low voltage outdoor lights.
The design process is part art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space and its lighting for human satisfaction and enjoyment.
Some of the major goals of the landscape planning process include:
- Organizing and developing the site for maximum use and pleasure.
- Creating a visual relationship between the house and the site.
- Reducing landscape maintenance to a practical level.
- Planning landscape outdoor lighting that blends with and enhances the landscape
Americans spend tremendous amounts of money landscaping and lighting their businesses, homes, streets, parks, schools, etc. Much of this money is wasted, however, because of little or no planning.
People cannot know how to landscape and light that landscape properly until they know why they landscape.
There are several reasons why people landscape:
- Some think it improves the appearance and value of their property;
- Other people like to grow plants;
- Others just want their place to look pretty.
However, these landscapes and the associated outdoor lighting unfortunately often dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the landscape may take up a large portion of the space and leave little room for people and the lighting is overdone, intrusive and harsh.
So how does the designer arrange space and landscape lights so that people will find it useful, beautiful, meaningful and functional?
The methods include:
- Observing and analyzing the habits of the people who will be using the space, including their needs, desires and how much space and light each of their activities requires.
- Studying past landscaping and landscape lighting methods.
- Surveying available materials to solve design requirements.
- Analyzing the environment of the site including the view in and around the site. The ecology of the site should be carefully analyzed since it is important in determining the design.
- Deciding which areas will be best served by outdoor lighting and which should be left unilluminated.
Later articles will go into more detail on the landscape and outdoor lighting design process.
Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Tips
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Low Voltage Landscape Lights are environmentally friendly because they use low voltage, energy-efficient lights. They are also safer to use and install. For these reasons low voltage landscape lights have become increasingly popular in recent years.
Normal (mains) voltage lights cast a bright light which has advantages. However, they also attract bugs and moths by the thousands and cost more to run.
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Low voltage landscape lights provide a pleasant a softer light that is more appealing when placed strategically to highlight the plants and they are more natural looking as the landscape itself.
You can purchase pre-packaged low voltage landscape light kits from retail and online stores. Normally the kits include the lighting fixtures, plus the transformer, cables so you can install a low voltage lighting system.
Safety Tips
1. The wires of outdoor lights must always be grounded.
2. The fixtures should be rated as “water- resistant/UL approved for outdoor use.”
3. Lights rated for indoor use should never be used outdoors.