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Posts Tagged ‘outdoor lighting’

Tips on Landscape Design and Implementation

November 13th, 2009 No comments

Have you recently decided to take on the task of landscape design and implementation? If you have, I am here to offer helpful tips. Put careful consideration in your landscape design, you want to make sure it will suit you as well as your home. Your climate is a big consideration as well; some flowers and plants do not grow in certain climates.

There are of course professionals that you can hire to do this job for you, if you choose. Either way your landscape will be beautiful after it has undergone the transformation. Depending on the size of your project, you may need help to finish it. If so, there are a number of landscape designers on the Internet at very reasonable prices. You would only need to research a few companies and find the one that you feel comfortable with. These companies will work right along side you to give you what you want.

Take time to consider all the factors involved if you have decided to go ahead with the project yourself. Making a map of your land can help. You should include all property lines, roads, driveways, and paths. Be sure to add your garage, outbuildings of any kind and your home. Adding the lawn entrance and plants or garden areas could be useful as well.

Once you have this map, or checklist you will then need to start designing your landscape. You will need to decide on many things while doing this. Take care to include all the aspects that you want to have in your landscape. You of course can change your plans at any time or even after it has been implemented. Landscapes can grow and change with you, therefore if you want to add or take away at a latter time that is quite possible to do.

You may want to add certain things that you enjoy in your life, such as a path or two if you like to take strolls. You can even add a patio for cook outs if that is what you enjoy doing. You may enjoy ponds or water fountains these things can all be added.

After deciding what features you want to include such as; patios, walkways, water features it is then time to decide where they should go. You will then need to determine if you wish to have electricity points for lighting through out or in certain areas, or even not at all. This will help take care of the bigger elements that may be hard to change later on.

After you have decided on the types of flowers, shrubs, and trees you wish to use in your landscape the last step is the implementation of it all. This is where you put it all together and make that wonderful landscape you have been dreaming about. This is not an easy or quick task. You may decide at this point to bring in professionals, either way once it is all put together you have designed and implemented your landscape.

Everyone will love your yard after getting some help from your local gardener that can help you with all of your yard and garden needs including irrigation and drainage systems.

Designing Your Outdoor Lighting

September 18th, 2009 1 comment

Fall is the season when I seem to take most advantage of our backyard outdoor lighting. Less daylight means longer evenings in the backyard while it is still warm enough to bar-b-q enjoy the patio set until bedtime. It also means that I turn on the backyard lights a little earlier each evening to enjoy the late summer nights.

During the longer days of mid summer, it seemed that I could cook and entertain relatively late without worrying about turning on the lights. Safety is a big issue for me, and I like having stairs and pathways of my back yard lit well enough so my friends and family don’t end up in a bush. But now that the days are shorter, I just enjoy turning on the lights so that my evening guests can enjoy the ambiance as much as I do.

I didn’t pay much attention to outdoor lighting design until I bought my own house. Since then, I am all about making a cozy and beautiful space both indoors and out. The backyard is such an easy space to work on. It seems that you can make spectacular changes with just a little hard work, a bit of landscaping, and a combination of some permanent lights and very inexpensive temporary lights. Lighting is often seen as just seasonal, but if you stick with a neutral color (my scheme is generally all white), you can use cheap Christmas lights all year to create a wonderful backyard lighting design.

When you decide to come up with a lighting scheme for your backyard or patio, you will want make sure that you design with safety in mind. People unfamiliar with your outdoor space won’t be expecting changes in surfaces, or won’t be familiar with how many steps from your patio to the backyard. Improper lighting could create safety hazards that are easily avoided with some planning. Consider adding extra lighting at doorways, stairs, and any areas that are main traffic areas.

After ensuring that your main areas have been well lit, you can take care of the interesting part of your backyard lighting design. Wrapping rope lights around the trunks of trees is always a striking effect, as is using spotlights to focus attention on an interesting statue or bush in your garden. For special occasions I have a string of twinkly lights that I’ve placed in the ivy along our neighbours fence. And my favorite effect is always natural light – torches serve double duty as a lovely ambient touch, as well as keeping mosquitoes away by burning citronella oil.

Spending some time to design the lighting scheme of your backyard can be a very rewarding experience. Having guests over to enjoy the outdoor ambiance that you have created is a perfect way to enjoy your outdoor space. Remember that changing the outdoor lighting design is easy and inexpensive, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different placements and types of lighting. You could change your lighting design every year, or your might end up finding the perfect combination, and decide to keep it as a permanent backyard lighting design.

Learn more information on decorating with outdoor lights at outside lights.