I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Lighting is sexy! There is just no way around it. Of all the things that I do in the field of landscaping, and there is a lot, none really compares to lighting up a property at night. In fact, wouldn’t you rather look at photo’ after photo’ of sexy landscapes illuminated for nighttime use instead of reading this article? Sure you would. If I describe one of Purple Cow Landscaping’s lighting installations, it’s blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, etc…… But, take a look at one of the jobs we’ve done and it’s a whole different thing.
When you first glance at the photo’, it’s just that, a photo’. Give it a couple minutes though. Let your imagination kick in. Pretty soon you’ll begin to feel the warm southern breeze, next is the sound of ice tinkling in your glass as you swirl it around to mix the libations within. Touch the cold glass to your neck to curb the heat. Soft music is lazily finding its way to you from your outdoor garden speakers through your meticulously manicured landscape. Can you picture it? Can you feel it? If you are still wondering what I am talking about, then you haven’t been properly introduced to good landscape lighting.
Let me begin. There are 2 major components of a good landscape lighting installation: the scientific, and the artistic. The scientific, as I call it, is all the electrical theory and the mechanical stuff that goes into a lighting installation. This has to do with things like the size of the transformer, size of the wire, how long of a run one can make before it becomes problematic, why long runs are challenging, how to meet those challenges, control systems such as switches, photo-cells, motion sensors, what lights to use where, what lights not to use, installation tricks, etc. This scientific part, the part that has to do with resistance, voltage, amperage, digging in the dirt, unfortunately, none of this is very sexy. It is very necessary though. A good grasp of electrical theory as well as practical, hands-on experience with the different phases of landscape construction are all useful for the first component, the scientific component. And, an artistic eye, child like playfulness and curiosity as well as lots of time spent in the dark with lighting systems is something that is invaluable to the artistic component of landscape lighting. These are both areas with more information than I want to try and address in one issue. Instead, let’s save the details in these area for subsequent installments and for now, let’s wrap up with a few reasons for having lighting. Did I mention it’s sexy?
If you haven’t invested in landscape lighting just yet, perhaps it’s because you haven’t considered the following. Safety is always an issue. And, if you don’t think lighting is that important, ask yourself this question. Would you rather walk to your car at a well-lit venue, or, in a dim, sparsely lit place? How about the sheer practicality of being able to see that step? Did you notice the fluorescent lights over the table where you took your date for that romantic dinner? Of course not! No restaurant owner in his right mind would light his place like that. Why? Because restaurants use light to bring out beauty not hide it.
Clearly, that’s what you want to do with your property. You want to bring out the beauty. You want to make it safer and sexier, right? Now, what if I told you that you can make your property 50% more enjoyable? Ok, humor me here. But, if you have any kind of landscaping at all, and you don’t have proper lighting, you are only enjoying its beauty during the daytime. It only sounds strange because you are sighted. I had a sister who didn’t have her sight and I learned a lot from her. Think about it. A lot of what allows you to enjoy your landscape, and your home, is the fact that it is visually accessible. You can see it. So, how about it, how about making your home safer and sexier by 50%?
