New landscape lighting for back garden
It only took 12 years, but we finally installed path lighting and uplighting in the backyard, and what a big difference it makes. We already had two sets of string lights for parties, which are on manual switches. But now we have ground-level lighting that highlights plants and garden art and comes on automatically at dusk.
Now, even when we’re inside, we enjoy the soft glow of the nighttime garden through windows and doors. And outdoors we have practical path lighting as well as the drama of uplighting on bold plants like agaves and yuccas, as well as a few trees.
It makes all the difference in the world in the feel and utility of our garden after dark.
Props to my DH for installing it! We were about to hire someone, just to get it done, but then the pandemic happened, and we were loath to have anyone at our house, even outside. So he worked on it a little at a time over a couple of weekends, running low-voltage wiring in shallow trenches under gravel paths and along the edge of planting beds. Plugging in a transformer at each end of the yard (one at the upper patio, the other in the pool pump shed) worked best for our long, narrow backyard. From each side he then ran wiring up and down paths and beds.
The lights I bought are from superbrightleds.com: path lights and uplights. (I chose them based on my own research; this is not a paid endorsement.) I got them in Natural White but kind of wish now I’d opted for the Warm White, which has a lower wattage and warmer hue. Still, we’re very happy with them and just wish we hadn’t waited 12 years.
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Digging Deeper
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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Uplighting, spotlighting and string lighting makes all the difference. We have an abundance of lighting in our smallish back yard and makes all the trees, shrubs and flower beds look so magical. Glad you finally ‘turned on the switch’!
Me too! Good lighting does make a huge difference.
Nice! I hope you have lots of time to enjoy it this summer.
The nice thing is I enjoy it from indoors even when we’re not out back at night. Which to be honest, we’re not that much. But now the garden looks pretty at night through the windows.
I have often thought I would like some lighting in the garden. We just aren’t out there much at night. Your lighting looks wonderful! Well done DH.
See my reply above, Lisa. You may enjoy outdoor lighting more than you think from inside your home. And having lights may entice you outdoors more often. It does for me.
How peaceful! At our previous house my late husband installed path lights all around the pool area. Of course the water reflection and low light in the pool made it dreamy. We would sit out there in the evenings with the waterfall on and the lights and any of the days worries seemed not to matter. Your post brings back wonderful memories. Thank you!
That sounds lovely, Pam! How nice that you were able to enjoy that together!
That’s lovely. DH did a great job. We loved ours at the other house. It’s so far down the list at this house it may be a decade before we get to that! Maybe we should all come inspect it one evening – from an appropriately social distance, of course!
Ah, you will get to it much sooner than that! Probably you’re figuring out how to light up your beautiful live oaks right now. 😉
The Agave looks dashing in the bright light. You have planned it so well !!!
Thank you!
Quite the dimension that garden lighting provides at your house – a true believer in it at my last home and someday at my new home.
Hope it doesn’t take you 12 years like it did for us, David!