Gardens look great in the daytime, so why not extend garden viewing into the evening? With the right types of fixtures, you can use outdoor lights to create dramatic effects around your home. Master gardener Chris Dawson shows just how easy it is to install lighting in your garden.
Illuminating gardens, decks and walkways at night can create a whole new look and feel around your home. People choose outdoor lighting for a variety of reasons:
- Accenting trees, shrubs, planting beds or architectural features turns them into focal points.
- Illuminated paths, steps and walkways are easier and safer to use.
- Outdoor lighting can make your property more secure.
Adding outdoor lighting can be very easy. The first step is to choose a system that's right for you. There are a wide variety of kits and hardware to choose from and prices to fit just about any budget.
Solar lights are a popular choice. There's no wiring to install and no electricity bill to pay. They generally cost more than other options, but you do save a little on your electric bills.
The most widely used type of outdoor lighting, and the system used in this project, is low voltage lighting. It's economical, safe and easy to install. A nice feature of this system is that the lights can be easily moved to compensate for plant growth or for different lighting effects.
Although you can purchase individual lights, cables and power supplies, many people prefer to use a kit. Most kits include everything you need for installation. The transformer is what makes low-voltage lighting safe and economical. It takes a standard 120-volt household current and reduces it to just 12 volts, making it safer to handle.
This particular kit has two types of lighting fixtures.
- Globe lights are designed to cast small pools of light on the ground. They're ideal for softly illuminating the edge of the patio.
- Floodlights send out a stronger, focused beam of light--perfect for highlighting a specific tree, bush or area of the yard or garden.
Develop a diagram and lay all the lights on the ground where you want them. Adjust them until the location and spacing is to your liking.
To install the outdoor lighting system:
1. Lay out the power cable to be sure it's long enough to reach every light. Start at the outlet where the system's power transformer will be plugged in. Leave some extra cable at each light in case you do any rearranging in the future.
2. Attach the lights to the cable with the connectors. Just place a connector on each side of the cable and snap them together.
3. When the light is connected to the cable, push the light in the ground using firm pressure. If the ground is hard, dig a small starter hole for the light. Loosely aim the floodlights and make final adjustments when it's dark and the lights are on.
4. With the lights in place, hook up the transformer. To guard against electrical shock, transformers should always be plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter type of outlet with a weather-resistant cover. If you don't have one, contact a professional electrician to have one installed.
5. Depending on where you place your lights, the cabling can often be hidden under existing mulch or rocks. Most likely you'll need to bury some of the cable. The recommended depth is no deeper than 6 inches, so underground utilities shouldn't be a problem. It's still a good idea to know where these are located before you do any digging.
A few lights in the right places can give your yard or garden a magical feel at night. This simple do-it-yourself installation creates new focal points for evening viewing.
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