Besides increasing your curb appeal, landscape lighting work can illuminate your home and highlight features that add beauty. A good starting point is to sketch your property and match the reason for each light (for example, illuminating a walkway or eliminating a tripping hazard).
Also, consider using “hub” wiring methods that connect all wire runs to one central junction. This helps reduce tripping hazards as well as simplifies troubleshooting. If you are looking for a good company, click here at https://orlandolandscapelighting.net/.

Uplighting
Uplighting is the landscape lighting process of pointing lights upward to illuminate the eye-catching features of your landscaping. It’s often used to highlight a dramatic tree trunk, interesting bark, or unique branches. It can also give new life to a statue, fountain, or architectural column. The possibilities are endless.
When choosing an uplighting system, be sure to select LED fixtures. These use less energy than traditional bulbs, have a longer lifespan, and offer adjustable lumen output. Lumen output can be adjusted based on the color temperature of the feature you are uplighting. Warmer color temperatures (such as 3000K) work well with oak trees and brown siding, while cool whites are better for modern or commercial landscaping projects.
Another option is to use floodlights. These are installed above the focus of your landscape and have a wider beam. They’re great for illuminating large walls, hedges, or entertainment areas. When choosing floodlighting, it’s important to know how bright the area you want to be lit up will be and choose a fixture with that in mind.
The right lighting is essential for enhancing the appearance of your landscaping and making it more usable at night. It can add hours to your backyard time so you can cook, lounge, dine, and play after the sun goes down.
A good landscape lighting company will be knowledgeable about all the different types of lighting and have experience in incorporating them into your landscaping design. They should ask you about the style of your home and how you utilize your outdoor space so they can incorporate ideas that are relevant to your specific lifestyle.
They should also be licensed electricians and use the lowest voltage possible for safety and ease of installation. Low voltage is ideal for residential landscape lighting, as it’s safe enough to bury and requires fewer wires than line voltage, which is only appropriate for commercial or industrial applications. In addition, it’s a good idea to look for landscape lighting companies that use the hub method of wiring, which connects all wire runs to a central junction and reduces splicing.
Downlighting
Downlighting in landscape lighting is a subtle way to accent focal points and architectural detail, create an inviting mood, build property value, and improve safety. It is often used in combination with uplighting to create the perfect lighting effect for a home and yard.
Just as uplighting highlights taller structures, trees, and other landscaping elements, downlighting is designed to illuminate lower levels of your yard. It is a good option for seating areas, water features, low-growing flowers, and other landscape features that are more easily visible from ground level.
Unlike uplighting, downlighting is meant to look as natural as possible. It mimics the light of the moon, which is a naturally occurring source of light at night. For this reason, it is a great option for accenting trees and other landscaping elements that can be seen from your house at night.
There are several different types of downlighting fixtures available for use in a landscape lighting system. Most commonly, we install textured downlights on a variety of unique landscape features like retaining walls, garden art, and more. The rounded fixture shape is perfect for top-mounting and its long-lasting LED lamp has several board varieties to provide the proper amount of illumination for each unique feature.
Another popular type of downlighting is hardscape lights, which are fixtures that are installed on or into the surface of a hardscape feature such as a deck, patio, or fence to “wash” it with light. These are often a good fit for large entertainment spaces in yards where people may be gathering, and they can also help to make these areas safer to navigate at night.
In addition to downlighting, we also offer path lighting, directional accent lights, and other specialty lights. These are designed for smaller tasks and may be more easily installed as a DIY project. Path and directional lights are often best when mixed with uplighting, but can be used on their own to highlight certain trees, architectural features, and statuary. Using both uplighting and downlighting to add depth, height, and drama to your landscape at night is the most effective way to create an amazing lighting effect.
Wall Washing
Unlike uplighting, which highlights specific elements, wall washing illuminates the entire vertical surface of the wall with even lighting distribution from top to bottom. This hides blemishes by eliminating shadows so that the wall appears clean and bright. It’s often used for small spaces to make them appear larger and more spacious, but it can also draw attention to a specific focal point.
This landscape lighting technique is ideal for highlighting outdoor walls, fireplaces, and other architectural features, as well as artwork or decorations. It also improves functionality by enhancing visibility and making it easier to navigate around the space. If you choose fixtures that are lamp-ready, you can change their lumen output (brightness) and color temperature based on the desired effect and your personal preference.
You can use the same lighting techniques to highlight fountains, ponds, flower gardens, patios, pergolas, or any other feature in your yard that is important to you. It’s a great way to create a bold, dramatic effect that will catch the eye of anyone who visits your home.
While it’s possible to install landscape lights on your own, you should always consult with a professional before beginning. They’ll be able to guide you through the process and help you come up with an appropriate layout. Creating a layout beforehand will save you time during the installation process and ensure that your design looks cohesive once it’s finished.
Landscape lighting is an effective deterrent against burglars and trespassers. It also gives guests a better view of the property and makes it easier to navigate at night, which can reduce the risk of accidents or injuries due to tripping or falling. It’s also a good idea to install lighting around steps and uneven surfaces so that guests can easily see where they’re going and avoid any missteps.
When choosing landscape lights, opt for low-voltage options instead of line voltage. Line voltage requires the use of exposed electrical wires that pose a danger of shock, while low-voltage landscape lighting uses a transformer to convert 120V electricity into safe 12V energy for your landscape lights. A transformer is the heart of your landscape lighting system, and it’s important to select one that can handle the total wattage of all your fixtures.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting is the general light that radiates over a landscape, creating an overall look. It creates a warm, inviting glow that is comfortable for people to move around in, without producing glare or overwhelming the eye.
A good landscape lighting specialist can use this type of light to accentuate key features in your landscape that you want to draw attention to. This could be a statue, a pathway, or even a favorite tree in the yard. Ambient lighting is great for highlighting these important features and can be easily controlled using a light dimmer. This allows the client to adjust the mood of the space at the push of a button.
The most common type of ambient lighting is provided by the sun and moon. However, a well-crafted lighting plan can also be designed to provide natural ambient light using artificial means. This is done by incorporating light fixtures that are positioned to reflect light off of surfaces like water or the sky. This kind of ambient lighting can be used to illuminate a pond, create an ethereal glow over a low garden wall, or give the feeling of a sunset on your patio.
One of the most important aspects of any landscape lighting design is to consider what your primary goals are. Do you want your outdoor spaces to feel romantic, festive, or just impressive? Once you have established a clear goal, it is easier to pick the right equipment for your job.
Another option for landscape ambient lighting is to use a combination of accent spotlights and up-lighting. Spotlights are great for highlighting details of trees or structures in your landscape while up-lighting highlights the shape and texture of a larger object.
The last and probably most important aspect of ambient landscape lighting is to utilize a combination of different lights to achieve the desired effect. By using a mix of different types of lights and adjusting the intensity of each, you can get a very varied and interesting look to your landscape. This is a very popular approach that is often used by professional photographers when shooting movies.