Outdoor Landscaping Lighting for Safety and Security

Lighting is often overlooked by people when they are thinking about their landscaping needs. While lighting finishes off a nice landscape and allows you to enjoy your outdoor living space after the sun has gone down, it has many two other key benefits beyond that.

Namely: Safety and security.

At our Sherwood, Oregon based landscaping company, we are always educating our customers that landscape lighting plays an important part in accenting pathways, stairs, or any other potential hazards within your yard.

With smartly placed landscape lighting, you can avoid tripping on pathways, stairs and decks at night as you navigate safely around your property while enjoying its the beauty at the same time.

Although lighting cannot prevent crime, statistics show that a well lit home is much more likely to deter potential criminals. You can provide safety and security to your loved ones with landscape lighting.

Lighting professionals agree that a well-lit landscape can increase the safety and security of your home by eliminating accidents and vandalism. Low-voltage landscape lighting is easy and safe to install, is safe for kids and pets, and it consumes less power than line voltage lighting.

What Should You Light?

Take a walk around your property during the day, evening and night and make a quick sketch of the property, existing buildings, and any power sources and note down the following:

• Areas that can cause trips and falls in the dark.
• Areas where you want to deter unwanted persons or animals at night.
• A part of your home or landscaping that you would like to highlight or dramatize.
• Outdoor “rooms” that would be used for entertainment in the evening or late at night.
• Existing lighting (patios, porches, street, doors, garage).

Style and Design Considerations

Take a drive around at night viewing both commercial and residential properties. Notice how different lighting techniques can create different moods use light to highlight the building and landscaping.

Add any styles or lighting techniques that catch your eye to your sketch.

Conclusion

While many homeowners opt to go the DIY route, working with a professional landscaper can help you reduce shadowing when downlighting, use fixtures with proper shielding to reduce glare and fixture visibility, and prevent other common challenges that can pop up.

If you're looking for landscape lighting design ideas, give us a call today at 503.625.6888 or visit our website: http://aspencreeklandscaping.com/

Do you have lighting in your garden or on your property? How have you found it useful? Like, Comment, or Share below to let us know!

Water Feature Ideas For Landscape Design

Water features are a terrific way to turn a boring landscape into something interesting and special. Offering a place of serenity as well as an attraction to local wildlife.

Refresh your thinking tool box with some of these ideas and dive into a world of new possibilities.

Small In Scale - Yet Big On Impact:

Outdoor Living Space:

Aerial Display:

Whatever your desired purpose, a few design tips to keep in mind when planning your water features are:

1. What is the overall purpose of the water feature?
   Do you intend to use it for outdoor living space, or to have a quiet place of reflection or to attract wildlife? Decide what it will be used for first.
2. How large is the space?
   If you have a small amount of space to work with, there are many ideas for the best use of that space, but designing the appropriate water feature for the space is key. On the flip side, you wouldn't want a tiny water feature in large space. It would look silly and dwarfed by the rest of the landscape.
3. What is your budget?
   Again, there are many options for different budgets. Decide what your budget is and choose appropriately based on that.

Most importantly, designing and building a water feature that meets your expectations and desires can liven up any backyard or commercial space and add another level of design to your outdoor living space.