Lighting Your Backyard

James Hering and his wife, Leta, sure like to host outdoor house parties -- at least one or two weekend events a month.

"We don't like to eat alone," a smiling Leta Hering says in the back yard of their Fresno, Calif., home.

And landscape lighting makes evening entertaining possible.

The Hering's lights are used to highlight details in the landscape like their ceramic water fountain. (SHNS photo by Darrell Wong / The Fresno Bee)

Jim and Leta Hering in their back yard. (SHNS photo by Darrell Wong / The Fresno Bee)

Yard lights enhance the landscape by creating shadows and accenting garden areas. (SHNS photo by Darrell Wong / The Fresno Bee)

A back yard with outdoor lighting "extends your living space," says James Hering. "It becomes part of your living room."

As dusk begins to turn to dark on a comfortable June evening at the Herings' home, spotlights on the ground begin to shine on climbing vines, a saucer magnolia tree and a crape myrtle. Floodlights highlight five cypress trees, while small, dome, mushroom-looking lights line parts of the sidewalk.

In all, Hering has installed about 20 light fixtures.

Yard lights not only give homes added safety by brightening dark areas and steps, but they also enhance the landscape by creating shadows and accenting garden areas. Light sources

Lights in the yard are powered either by the sun or by electricity.

Solar-light fixtures have a solar cell or panel that absorbs energy and converts it into battery power, which is stored in rechargeable batteries. How long and bright the light shines depends on the amount of sunlight it collected that day.

Solar fixtures are used as accents in flower or rock gardens and markers for walkways and driveways, but don't expect to use them for more than that.

"Solar-landscape lights are an easy way to do outdoor lighting," says Doug Beach, store manager of Lamps Plus in Fresno. "They are extremely simple to install. The cost is low, but satisfaction also is low. They do not work as well."

If you buy solar light fixtures, "they need southern exposure, so the power cells get recharged," recommends Art Perez, owner of Work of Art Landscaping in Visalia, Calif. "If you put them on the north side or in a lot of shade, they will not get recharged."

Another option is line-voltage fixtures, which get their power directly from a home's electrical system. Wires are run underground through a conduit, making location changes less flexible. Line-voltage lighting systems are typically for large landscaping projects and for professionals to install. Also, Beach says, they have a high-enough voltage level to become a fire hazard if the line is cut.

The alternative is a low-voltage lighting system. While it also plugs into a home's electrical system, the electricity goes through a transformer. "If you accidentally cut it with a shovel, the lights will go out, but there is no fire hazard," Beach says.
For homeowners who want to do their own landscape lighting, low-voltage is the way to go, says Lennie Slaughter, owner of Lennie Slaughter Landscaping in Fresno. "It can be done," he says. "You don't normally need to hire an electrician."

You just need to be sure to get a transformer with a high enough wattage to handle all the light fixtures, he says. After you buy your fixtures, add the individual wattage of all the fixtures and then pick the transformer. Transformers are available in 150, 300, 600 and 900 watts.

From simple, two-tier lights along pathways to specialty lights in the shape of tulips or turtles in the garden, there are plenty of light fixtures to fit different yards.

Ellen Nielsen of Visalia recently had her landscape lighting redone by Art Perez, and the project called for 56 light fixtures. Spotlights now illuminate 75-foot-tall pine trees, while pathway lights glow around the circle driveway and front door area.

But Nielsen's favorite is a mature olive tree with suspended lights. "It's adorable when you're out on your patio," says Nielsen.

"No, it doesn't look like a Christmas tree," Perez says. "It's subtle lighting. It looks magnificent but not overpowering."

With a few simple outdoor lights, a landscape takes on a new shape at nightfall.

"Landscape lights illuminate things, like trees or a water feature, and make it look different at night," Slaughter says. "Most people don't enjoy their landscape during the day because they are busy at work. At night, the lights bring you outdoors."