6 Strategic Spots to Place Outdoor Lighting

One of the best things about summer is the nice warm weather that is perfect for spending time outside. However, many of us work long hours and by the time we get home, shower, and grab a meal, the sun is almost down.

At Woodfield Landscaping, we know the perfect solution for homeowners who would like to extend outdoor fun beyond daylight: we’re talking about outdoor lighting.

We’ve installed many Maryland outdoor lighting systems and helped many homeowners not only improve usability of their yards, but also increase their property’s curb appeal. Outdoor lighting fixtures are usually low-voltage (12 volts) or powered by solar energy, which makes them extremely energy-efficient. In most cases, outdoor lights have two key benefits: lighting the area to ensure safe use and highlighting certain landscape features for aesthetic reasons.

While designing an outdoor lighting layout or having your local Maryland landscaping company do the job, remember that lights need to be placed strategically. Here are few spots you might want to light up:

Pathways and steps

Place the lights on both sides of all pathways to light the way. This will help you easily navigate them in darkness and will be of great aid to your guests who are unfamiliar with your property. Be sure to also illuminate the steps, because it’s very easy to stumble and hurt oneself in the darkness.

Patios and decks

Use illuminating table centerpieces, string lights, soft lanterns, tiki torches, or whatever fits your style and landscape design. Install multiple light sources of different brightness, so that you could easily take your patio or deck from party to romantic.

House number and mailbox

A bright-lit house number will help guests arriving after dark easily spot your home. Especially if it’s located too far away from the road and the street lights are not of much use.  Also, people are less likely to hit your mailbox by accident if it’s properly illuminated.

Garage and side doors

Put motion-activated flood lights near garage and house entrances. They are very convenient because you don’t have to flip the switch and double as a security measure in case someone approaches your house in the dark of the night.

Landscape features

Create dramatic lighting to highlight your beautiful landscape elements, such as well-groomed trees and bushes, flower beds, sculptures, ponds, fountains, etc. Be careful not to overdo it by placing too many bright lights all over the place: you don’t want your property to look like an amusement park.

Pool and hot tub

If your pool or hot tub didn’t come with pre-installed lights, it might be a good idea to place lights along the perimeter. For tub, you could use low ambient lights to create relaxing atmosphere. As for the pool, you can install something brighter to better illuminate the surface of the water.

Have questions about outdoor lighting or would like us to design a custom lighting system for your property? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!

Halloween Landscaping: 6 ways to dress up your yard

The fall is here. Leaves are turning yellow and fall off, flowers quit blooming, and plants are getting ready for winter.

At Woodfield landscaping, we have one advice for you: embrace the death in nature and use it to get your yard Halloween-ready using these tips.

 

 

Spice up the planters

For the plants that stay outside during the winter or until late fall, decorate the planter. Add spooky stickers, ribbons or cobwebs to make the Halloween reference. A creative idea is to use pumpkins for planters, so that a plant looks like it’s growing from the inside of a pumpkin.

If you have empty planters, use them to create an illusion of a dead garden. Instead of decorating the planter itself, focus on the contents. Make an arrangement of twigs and dead branches; add some cobwebs, plastic spiders or some slimy goo to make it look like the plants are dead, neglected or diseased.

Flowerbeds to graveyard

Turn spent flowerbeds into a mini graveyard. Get plastic grave plates or build wooden crosses to mark the “graves.” There is a lot of room for your creativity from inscribing custom names and dates on the tombstones to adding skeletons and body parts to the scene. You can even leave a few dead flowers for a more dramatic look.

Rework the lighting

For the month of October, you can change all your outside lighting bulbs to black light or some colored light like red or orange. Although not practical, this will definitely make your house stand out in the neighborhood. If you don’t want any drastic changes, create a few spotlights to highlight certain design features, such as a graveyard or a scarecrow.

Populate the bushes

If you have bushes and shrubbery growing along a walkway or next to the door, use them to scare your visitors. Dense bushes are a perfect place to hide motion-sensor devices that would jump out or make a noise when someone approaches. For a less scary experience, stuff the bushes with glowing mean eyes: enough to give someone the creeps. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.

Decorate the trees

There are plenty of hanging decorations you can use for the trees. Make sure they are not too heavy, won’t present a fire hazard or damage the tree in any way. Because trees are tall, we recommend going with larger décor pieces that will stand out.

Add a Gothic touch with black plants

There are a few plants that have naturally black foliage or flowers. If you are going for a scary and gloomy Halloween yard look, they would be perfect. Go here to see the assortment and read more about which plants will work better for Maryland landscaping in climate zone 7.

Have fun decorating, and if you need any help with the fall yard maintenance, contact Woodfield Landscaping and we’ll be happy to get your yard ready for the winter.