Protect Tender Plants for Winter

These long dark nights of winter are the perfect time to consider adding low-voltage outdoor lights to your landscape, patio and yard. After Daylight Savings Time ends in October and dark falls by late afternoon, outdoor landscape lighting provides the finishing touch for a welcoming home.
Use night lighting to emphasize the most attractive features of your house, creating a warm and luxurious glow for winter evenings. Landscape lighting will increase the curb appeal of your home, providing beautiful visual effects and adding value to your property. Not only does landscape lighting make your home more attractive, it adds considerably to your family’s safety and security.
Many property owners invest thousands of dollars in beautifying their home and landscape, but only enjoy their investment in the evenings. Even on weekends, when many people spend the day enjoying their home and property, outdoor activities often are curtailed or end when night falls.

With low voltage outdoor lighting, you can extend the enjoyment you receive from your home and garden. Properly designed and installed outdoor lighting allows the family to dine on the patio, relax by the pool or entertain friends and neighbors well into the night.
Low-voltage lighting uses less electricity than house current, typically 12 or 24 volts. When shopping for the lighting look you want, consider copper and brass fixtures for longevity or even solar lights that require no electricity at all.
To decide which areas of your landscape to light, begin by viewing your yard at dusk. Make note of particular areas and features that will need to be illuminated. Look for focal points in the landscape to showcase. Any area of your home; deck, patio, pool, trees, or gardens can be transformed into an after-dark feature. Walk through the zones leading to and from your home or a special part of your garden. A quick sketch of the areas you want to highlight will come in handy when finalizing your plan.
You will need different lighting fixtures, depending on what you are trying to illuminate. Two main ways of lighting are downlighting and uplighting.
Downlighting illuminates the surrounding ground, and includes path lighting along a walkway or driveway. These lights mount in the soil and light the walkway for safety as well as highlighting surrounding plants and shrubbery.
When uplighting or spotlighting, lights are also placed in the ground and aimed upwards or angled to highlight a tree, a statue, or garden ornament. Entry garden specimen trees or espaliered trees on house walls make good uplighting focal points. Uplighting should never be aimed toward steps or walks where it could interfere with the vision of passersby.
Landscape lighting can also include pond lights, either fixed or floating. Any water feature will be enhanced by the addition of dramatic night lighting. Pond lighting is especially interesting when moving water keeps the nuances of light changing and when lights are used both in and by the water.
For driveways or out-of-the-way spots, look into motion sensor lights to replace fixed spotlights. The motion sensor light comes on only when something crosses its path, providing light when and where you need it.
Landscape lighting beautifies your home and gives a welcoming feel. It extends your outdoor recreation and entertaining hours in summer and lights the early night in winter. Carefully planned lighting also provides security and peace of mind. Landscape lighting is the important, but often overlooked, finishing touch in the landscape.