When days are short and nights are long, landscape lighting around your home is more valuable than ever. Though outdoor lighting provides safety and security for your home, it can offer much more. By softly accenting the best features of your home and garden, shining a light on accents and focal points, and with add-ons to celebrate the holidays, your home landscape lights will make winter time feel much brighter.

Inspect Your Lighting System

Before the full force of winter hits, take close look at your outdoor lighting system. Make sure there are no worn, broken or rusted components and that all connections are tight. It is also a good idea for pathway lights to be installed with enough height that they will not be covered by snow.

Focal Points and Features

In addition to pathway and patio lights, landscape lights are best used to highlight special features in your yard and garden. A single uplight at the base of three or four interesting trees in your yard is an elegant way to draw attention to your home. Sculptural elements and water features also benefit from focused lighting.

If you can see these lit features from inside your living area, it helps to extend the hours you enjoy your landscape. While your front yard lighting is largely for neighbors and public view, backyard lighting is for your own enjoyment. A backyard with softly lit elements at night adds another level of interest to your home.

The Best Lights for Your Landscape

If you considering a new outdoor lighting system, LED lights are your best choice. The bulbs last far longer than any other type of light, but use much less electricity. LED lights are durable, dependable and versatile, with many colour options. Though they may initially cost a little more than traditional lights, over time, you will save with lower electric bills and less money spent on maintenance.

Holiday Lighting

Almost all homeowners like to add additional landscape lights as Christmas and the holidays draw near. If your are planning a new lighting system, provide some extra outlets or junction boxes so it will be easy to temporarily increase the number of lights in your yard.

If bright, colorful Christmas light features aren’t your style, there are some more subtle ways to enhance the holiday spirit with garden lights. One approach is to simply change the bulb color in some of your existing outdoor lights. Switch a couple of white spotlights from white to blue or green. You can also string a set of lights through one or more small trees in your yard. Blue and green lights look especially nice reflecting on snow covered branches on a winter night. If the lights don’t have a specific holiday theme, you may just decide to leave them up for the rest of the winter.

Though landscape lighting is nice at any time of year, you will appreciate it most during the colder months. When the sun sets early, garden lights brighten the parts of the landscape you want to feature, leaving the rest hidden. With lighting, a yard doesn’t have to have green foliage year round to be attractive. Show off the unique character of your yard, the bark and branches of a favorite tree or a piece of garden art with landscape lights. It can be a new way to enjoy winter.

Snuggle up by the fire and enjoy the gentle glow of your landscape lighting this winter. Book your firewood delivery today.