It’s no secret that outdoor living areas have grown in size, style, and popularity over the past few years. And during the summer months, one’s outdoor living space tends to be the crown jewel of one’s home. But as summer comes to an end and autumn approaches, the sun begins to set earlier which can cut outdoor activities short.
But who wants to miss out on the pleasant fall weather just because of a lack of light? At McDonough Landscaping, we want to make sure you’re enjoying your outdoor living area for as long as possible. The best way to do that is to install some tasteful landscape lighting.
Benefits of Landscape Lighting
Landscape lighting is a broad term that simply refers to outdoor lighting that illuminates your landscape, including your patio, deck, or pool area. Not only does landscape lighting extend your enjoyment of your outdoor space into the evening hours, but it also elevates outdoor spaces, transforming a basic patio and backyard into an elegant outdoor oasis.
Whether you want to light up a winding pathway into the garden, or add a bit of ambiance to your outdoor dining area, landscape lighting can add a lot of value to an outdoor space. Let’s take a look at some of the different landscape lighting options to help you enhance your outdoor living area.
8 Kinds of Landscape Lighting To Elevate Your Outdoor Space
1. Spotlights
A spotlight is a bold type of lighting that only points in one direction. Spotlights can be soft to very bright, and can cover a very narrow or wide area. In a landscape setting, they’re often used to illuminate statues, plants, walls, patios, or water features. Pro tip: Consider using multiple spotlights evenly around the perimeter of your landscape to make your garden appear larger at night.
2. Floodlights
A floodlight is a type of spotlight that is very bright and covers a larger area. Most floodlights are motion-sensitive, meaning that they turn on when something moves nearby. This makes floodlights the perfect eco-friendly lighting for a patio area, as it will only turn on exactly when you need it to. You can also install these lights on the front of your home for some extra security.
3. Pendant Lights
Add some charm and style to your landscape by hanging a pendant light or two. Pendant lights are bold, statement lanterns that can be hung from your pergola, gazebo, even tree branches! Just make sure your pendant light is safe for outdoor use to protect both its electrical functionality and to make sure it continues to look stunning in your yard.
4. Garden Lights
Garden lights are a type of in-ground lighting. You can stick these lights directly into the dirt and illuminate the plants and flowers immediately around it. This type of lighting is perfect for showing off your garden at night, but also for illuminating any walkways in the front or back yard. When you incorporate garden lights into your landscape, you’ll never have to worry about anyone missing your daylilies — or missing their step!
5. Step Lights
Speaking of steps, if you have an elevated patio or deck, you might want to consider installing step lights. A step light is a type of recessed lighting that’s usually installed directly into the steps themselves or onto the wall beside each step. Either way, the goal of step lighting is to illuminate each stair so you and your guests can see where you’re going at night. With step lighting, you can enjoy less accidents and more ambiance!
6. Lanterns
Lanterns are a classic, charming, and even nostalgic way to light up your outdoor space. Usually consisting of a light source (a candle or bulb) and a surrounding protective element (like a glass case), lanterns can either be hung high up to illuminate an area or placed low on the ground for some dreamy mood-lighting.
7. Bistro Lights
Bistro lights, also known as twinkle lights, are an exciting way to jazz up an outdoor space. You can string these lights between trees, weave them overhead from a pergola, or even drape them along a fence. This lighting option is extremely versatile, so feel free to go wherever your imagination takes you with these!
8. Hardscape Lights
Hardscape lights are great for adding low-profile illumination to your more fixed outdoor elements, such as a retaining wall, deck, stone fire pit, or outdoor kitchen countertop. As functional as it is stylish, hardscape lighting ensures no one will be bumping into things or tripping over your outdoor furniture, while also elevating your outdoor space to a new level of elegance.
Have a Landscape Lighting Project in Mind? Call McDonough!
If you’re hoping to get the most out of your outdoor patio this fall, it’s time to think about putting your own landscape lighting project into motion. Call the experts at McDonough Landscaping today at (651)755-7901 or shoot us an email to talk about your next landscape lighting project. We’ll help you design your lighting features to highlight the most beautiful features of your landscape. And with better lighting, you can keep the outdoor fun going even after the sun goes down!