Let Your Light Shine

With nights growing longer, now is a great time to look at the different types outdoor lighting and figure out which ones are most beneficial for you! First and foremost, it’s important to understand that landscape lighting has several benefits. One major benefit is that you can enjoy your outdoor living space after the sun has gone down. Another is the aesthetic value. With the right lighting, you can create focal points and accentuate your gorgeous landscape in the evenings. Finally, adding outdoor lighting can significantly increase the safety at your home.

Depending on what specific goals you’d like to achieve, there are different types of lighting that will help satisfy your needs! Let’s look at some of the styles that are available.

Uplighting

The term “uplighting” refers to the directional focus of the light. These lights are on (or near) the ground and face upwards, highlighting specific landscape features. They can also be used to accentuate specific areas of your home. Some common forms of uplighting include well lights, wash lights, flood lights, and bullet lights. Uplighting is great if you want to:

• Create dramatic shadows in your evening landscape
• Add depth to walls, corners, and fences
• Create focal points on architectural details, stones, trees, etc.

Path Lighting

Given that their sole purpose is to illuminate a path, this form of lighting is great for safety. Path lighting comes in handy when it’s dark by 6:30 p.m. and you have your hands full with dinner, kids, and groceries. The last thing you need is to stumble on something masked by shadows. Some common forms of path lighting include garden lights, bollard lights, and flush lights. You’ll benefit from path lighting if you want to:

• Enhance home security
• Improve curb appeal
• Mark path boundaries (your plants and shoes will thank you!)

Down Lighting

This form of lighting is installed up high and shines light downward. Because the lighting comes from above, the result imitates natural light and has sometimes been referred to as “moon lighting”. This form of outdoor lighting is great for security, as well as drawing your focus to a specific location, away from distractions. Down lighting may be a good choice if you want to:

• Create focal points in your landscape or yard
• Illuminate the ground beneath a tree
• Draw attention to steps
• Highlight attractive ground cover and flower beds

Smart Technology Meets Outdoor Lighting

Calling all tech lovers – now you can use your smartphone or tablet to control your outdoor lighting systems! Our team has experience with Unique Lighting Systems® and their Light LogicTM cloud-based control systems. We love that these systems provide a way to automate and control outdoor lighting conveniently from your phone or tablet. Light LogicTM has their own list of unique features that include wireless controls for up to four scenes, easy retrofitting into existing lighting installations, and astronomical timing which automatically adjusts dusk and dawn times based on your location.

Let Your Light Shine

Here at Topeka Landscape, we are well-versed in all forms of outdoor lighting. No matter your need, our team of experts is here to help. Contact us today so we can get started on your outdoor lighting before winter sets in! Need some ideas? Check out our gallery of work!