Landscape and outdoor lighting in Canton, MI
Your landscape should be the special place you go to relax. It’s where your kids or pets play and tire themselves out all summer. It’s where you can gather with your loved ones and make memories. To achieve such versatility with your landscape, you need to be able to experience your outdoor living area at any time of day or night. Here are nine landscape lighting techniques for large landscapes in the Rochester Hills and Canton, MI, areas.
Updating Energy Use
As technology improves, we have seen a movement away from unnecessarily costly and wasteful lighting fixtures that require traditional light bulbs toward more efficient LED or halogen lights. This allows for a far more eco-friendly design and improves creativity in landscape lighting plans as well. And these changes present an opportunity to scrap any garish floodlights and opt for a more strategic lighting design that focuses on creating distinct activity zones.
Defining Spaces
Certain areas of the landscape aren’t used as much at night. These areas should probably not be as brightly lit as a high-activity area such as the outdoor kitchen, while a relaxed fire pit area requires very little lighting support. Any gorgeous natural features can receive some less-bright highlighting to accentuate textures and create ambiance.
Low-Lying Lights
The main reason for lighting a landscape at night is typically safety. You want to be able to see where you’re walking, of course, and you don’t want any of your guests to trip and fall. Placing lights low to the ground avoids the risk of overpowering anyone with lighting or glare while making walkways safe and attractive.
Highlighting Trees
Beautiful trees deserve attention both day and night. One or two spotlights can direct your eyes toward your favorite trees’ unique features. Fixing a light fixture at the base of the tree and pointing it upward will give a great perspective of the bark and canopy.
Moonlighting
Along the same vein as highlighting, moonlighting is typically the practice of placing a bluish light high in the tree canopy and aiming it toward the ground. The leaves and branches of the canopy scatter the light and provide interesting shadows and textures on the ground, creating romantic illumination for gathering areas.
String Lights
For a festive experience, string lights provide illumination in a fun way that gently highlights and emphasizes different features of your landscape. Low-energy LED lights can do great work here and provide a fantastic atmosphere for your next party. String lights can also be hung in a pergola or gazebo for a special effect.
Submersible Lighting
Any water feature can become a dramatic focal point at night. Lights placed underwater send a blue glow in the surrounding area, and any ripples will provide dancing shadows that enhance the scene. Outdoor lights placed around the water will reflect off the surface, adding to the drama.
Silhouetting
A perfect technique for using any vertical surface at night, silhouetting displays impressive shadows on an otherwise unused space. Features in front of a retaining wall—such as a gnarled old fruit tree or garden statue—may be able to generate a shadow that’s framed within the confines of the wall, for example.
Cross-Lighting
Fantastic for illuminating specific shrubs, flower beds, or trees, cross-lighting (setting two spotlights aimed toward each other in an X pattern) allows the full scope of a landscape feature to be seen in 3D while not diverting attention away from focal points. It’s a brilliant way to create a welcoming mood for your outdoor living area.
Related: 5 Outdoor Lighting Ideas Tailored to Winter Landscapes in Macomb and Rochester Hills, MI, Areas
