LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
Landscape lighting fixtures are often not very visible, however they provide highly dramatic effects on shrubs, trees, garden features and building facades. It is highly preferable to plan the lighting before landscaping.
Very small gardens can be successful using 12-volt cabling only, as the cable runs will not be long enough to have a problem with voltage drop. In this case, cables and lights can be planned later, cable thrown under decks, bark or shallow buried are totally safe. For larger gardens it is best to run mains voltage to permanent fixtures or to in ground or housed transformers from where 12-volt lights can be run. Be sure to use a registered Electrician.
Installation:
It is highly recommended that outdoor lighting fixtures are not installed until the building project, landscaping and finishing are complete. If earlier installation is unavoidable ensure that fixtures are carefully wrapped
and masked after installation.
Common effects are:
Up lighting: Inground lighting onto substantial trees that can be viewed from any direction
Spotlighting: Highlighting of selected garden features using shielded spot lights
Shadowing: Light directed across an object creates texture and provides decorative shadows.
Silhouetting: Lighting behind trees and shrubs. Interesting branch structures are dramatic when silhouetted on a wall.
Cross Lighting: To display larger areas and soften the shadows use illumination from two or more fixtures.
Refer to Bulkhead page for material selection and maintenance guidance.