Spring and Summer months in the Northern, NJ, region grant us longer days and warmer weather for spending time outdoors. Most homeowners do not landscape their property solely for aesthetic purposes, opting instead to spend ample time outdoors soaking up the fruit of their labor from decorating and maintaining their land. With this in mind, it makes sense that most homeowners want to enjoy their landscape during warmer months without having to sacrifice any time. Expertly placed lighting in a landscape creates not only an aesthetically pleasing environment that highlights the architecture of your home, it also allows homeowners to take full advantage of their property's landscaping and enjoy it at any time, day or night.
Here are our tips on how to maximize your landscape and your time outdoors with expertly placed lighting:
Walkways - It is important to use proper lighting around walkways not only for aesthetic purposes, but for safety reasons. Not only does proper lighting illuminate the walkway beautifully, it can also be the perfect accent for your entryway. Low-level lighting strips provide a welcoming light without being too harsh or in the way. If you have plants along your walkway, using light fixtures within the plants can also serve as excellent lighting for your landscape, with a romantic appeal.
Flower Beds - Properly placed lighting in flower beds turn a simple garden into a romantic and inviting place. Emphasizing floral arrangements with lighting gives them extra attention and shows the care one puts into their landscape. Diffused lighting is ideal because it offers a natural illumination that highlights the delicate beauty of your flower bed, rather than illuminating certain areas harshly. Ideally, lights pointing upward and downward should be placed throughout the flower bed to enhance all features of the floral placement and provide a natural glow.
Tree Illumination - Tree illumination on your Northern, NJ, property can create an environment with a warm glow and inviting energy. One should make sure that the trunk/base of trees and the attached foliage are brightly illuminated. Adding lights to tree branches and leaves allows for a mystical, moonlit effect. Be sure to align the lights in a natural, less-uniformed way. Symmetry is not always ideal, as the goal is to make the illumination appear natural. For tree illumination, bullet lights are ideal because they allow for purposeful placement that includes the right amount of lighting in the right spaces.
Deciding which lighting is best for you - Much like furniture placement, lighting placement as well as the light style can perfectly accent different parts of your landscape. For example, spotlights are ideal for spaces after dark because brighter lighting allows for better vision, making a trek down the driveway or into the garage easier to navigate. Comparatively, soft wash lights allow for a more natural, ethereal glow that offers gentler illumination that makes your entire property glow. Somewhere in-between, bullet lights offer a similar glow to soft wash lights but also allow more targeted lights to certain areas of your Northern, NJ, property, such as emphasizing decorative plants, lawn decor, or porch columns. Proper lighting placed in proper spaces undoubtedly turns an average property into the envy of your neighborhood.
More Lighting Options - This article has touched on several lighting options, but there are a variety to choose from even outside those mentioned above. For example, one can use illuminated orbs in their flower bed for a mystical, fairytale effect. Orbs are great for planters and potted plants by highlighting specific areas of your property that otherwise may not have been noticed, especially at night. Orbs are also significantly easier than other light options when it comes to placement and movability. Similarly, string lights along trees and entryways allow for a more eccentric effect.
Ultimately, an expert landscaper knows that while light options are important to consider, it is ultimately the placement of lighting that makes the difference between a cluttered property and a majestically lit landscape.
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