How to Select Light Garden Lighting

A garden can be a great show spot or an extra area for living and relaxing for a home. A garden should have good lighting to show how appealing it is and that the atmosphere is a good one. Take a few minutes to carefully select the lights for the garden.

1. Decide which areas you want to have lighting in. This will help to make your search and decision simple.


2. Draw your garden design on paper. Walk around the garden area while making note of where everything in the garden is so that you can label things on your paper in detail. Be as detailed as possible when doing this so that the lighting will be positioned well.


3. Draw in the placement of the lights you wish to ad to the garden on the paper garden design layout that was drawn. Take pictures of the actual garden with a digital camera. Then bring the pictures and the drawing of the layout of the garden area to a home improvement or specialty garden store. If you choose you can speak to a garden designer for help in choosing the lights for the garden area.


4. Decide what types of lighting to use. Different types of lights go in different areas. Low-wattage smaller lights should be installed near small plants and decorations at ground level. A taller, larger light is best for tall foliage and areas that are more open. For lights to be used as part of security purposes, motion detector lights may be used. Tiki torches may be used along a shorter pathway or in a more remote area of the garden. To illuminate a large area or for a spectacular decoration type light, a floodlight with lower-wattage may be installed at the base of a tree. To have a more subtle glow, do not choose a light with a white frosted effect but an amber frosted color so the lighting will be softer. Lanterns may be hanged from posts to create an outdoor camping effect but stylish at the same time.