Now that summertime is upon us in Florida, it's the perfect opportunity to enjoy spending more evenings outdoors. Here are a few landscape lighting techniques from David Gray Electrical Services to make your outdoor landscaping shine during our warm summer nights.

Types of Landscape Lighting

There is a wide range of landscape lighting options from which to choose. Depending on the size and scope of your property and the mood you are looking to achieve, you may wind up using any or all of the following examples of lighting options for improving your landscaping.

Path Lights:

Install these types of lights to bring illumination for each footstep your family and friends take when approaching the home. Not only are path lights decorative, they are a safety feature that can help prevent someone from stumbling.

Postmount Lights:

These types of lights lend a touch of elegance to your dwelling. They are outdoor lights that are made by fastening lanterns atop of tall posts. Place them near gates and fences or entryways. Any place where people gather is a good location for postmount lights.

Deck Lights:

Give greater illumination with deck lights. Typically, you will put these in to make it easier to see each step, creating boundary lines. Beyond making the deck look more beautiful, they can make it safer too.

Step Lights:

If you have stairs outdoors, it's crucial to include some lighting on each step. Either mount them on the vertical edge of each step, or place them nearby so people can see better as they walk up and down. As with deck lights, their primary function may be to make it easier for people to move about, but they also make a nice visual contrast.

Bollard Lights:

For homeowners that want a bit more light than conventional path lights, Bollard lights are a suitable alternative. They are larger and allow you to create bold and striking designs using lights as guides as well as ornamentation. Place large bollards for illuminating entryways and use smaller versions of those bollards in place of path lights for a consistent approach.

Spotlights:

Aim spotlights are features such as flowers, ornate shrubs or trees that you want to highlight. Spotlights are also a good idea to illuminate sculptures or unique aspects of your home's external design.

Floodlights:

Use floodlights to spread light around a larger area than you can with ordinary spotlights. Floodlights will light up your whole front yard or the driveway, making them safety features as well as decorative elements.

Setting the Atmosphere: Lighting Styles

It's all about mood and achieving the perfect ambiance with your home landscaping project using carefully placed lights. Here are some outdoor lighting styles that you can try:

Path Lighting:

These are best when you want to encourage people to walk around the property at night safely while appreciating the landscaping design.

Silhouetting:

Call attention to a particularly beautiful element in your landscaping by aiming silhouetting lights behind them rather than in front of them, creating eye-catching shadows.

Uplighting:

You can easily accent outdoor features such as a tree by placing lights at the ground level and then angling them just so to emphasize their beauty.

Washing:

A form of ambient lighting that is good for creating a subtle mood. Washing is appropriate for lighting up a hedge, wall or other large and flat surface.

Create Your Beautiful Landscape Lighting

With the weather growing more pleasant and beckoning us to spend more time out of doors during the summer here in beautiful sunny Florida, homeowners are on the right track when they improve the landscaping on their property with a new outdoor lighting scheme. 

If you have limited experience in landscaping and lighting and could use some advice from experienced professionals, you should know that our team is standing by to help. From matching various types of lighting options to the particular visual effects you want to achieve in your backyard to helping you find energy-efficient solutions for landscape illumination, we would love to consult with you on your upcoming project. To make an appointment, please connect with David Gray Electrical Services today.

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