Some New Ideas for Landscape Lighting
Posted on November 19, 2009
Filed Under Garden Lighting, LED Lighting | Leave a Comment
New technologies are being brought to market on a monthly or even daily basis these days and it holds true for the landscape lighting industry as well. There are some great new technologies that feature LED landscape lighting as well as solar landscape lighting. All you need is a little time and a few dollars and you can add some great creativity to your garden. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Solar Color-Changing Gazing Ball
This is a throw back to the gazing ball that many folks had in their front yards back in the 50s and 60s except this ball is solar powered and offers 6 different colors. It also features a “cracked glass” globe that is lit by a LED bulb and powered by three built in Ni-Cad batteries that are charged by a solar panel and can run for up to eight hours at a time.
Solar eClips Light String
These solar powered lights are a new product on the market that offer a different look and feel for solar landscape lighting. They are versatile because they can clip on to fences, deck railing or can be staked in the ground along a walkway or stairway. The light strings have 14 single LED lights, come with clips and stakes and a 50′ long cord. It charges with using a 4″ square solar panel and can run up to 8 hours per day. The lights themselves are 3-4″ wide and 2″ tall with approximately 32″ of wiring between the lights.
Solar Stepping Stones
Yep, these are stones with LED lighting already built in. They are powered by a solar rechargeable Siemens™ silicone solar cell Ni-Cad battery that can hold a charge for up to 8 hours at a time. There is a light sensor that turns the light on at night and off in the morning. It is a 12″x12″x2″ thick durable polyresin and fiberglass that is very durable and very attractive as well.
Solar Butterfly Lights
Another creative way to add color and light into your garden with minimal ongoing operation costs because it is solar powered. The multi-colored Solar Powered Butterfly light is “11-1/2″ and can be adjusted in height off of the ground to 18″. It is powered with a small solar panel and uses a single LED bulb for light with fiber optics interwoven to create points of light throughout the butterfly.
Solar Plant Light Rings
The Solar Plant Light Rings are great for potted plants because they are small and delicate, won’t overpower your plant but yet powerful enough to provide some great up lighting. They feature clear LED landscape lights powered by a solar panel you can stake up to 14′ away. It comes with a flexible plastic ring that ranges in size from 6″ to 11″ in diameter and is very is to stake inside a pot or in a flower bed if so desired.
These are all great ways to improve the landscape lighting in your home, very easy to install and can add a ton of creativity to your garden.
Halloween Lighting…. It Doesn’t Have To Be a Scary Event!
Posted on September 18, 2009
Filed Under Halloween Lighting | 4 Comments
The fall is a favorite for a lot of folks: the weather is cooling down, days are shorter and leaves are changing color. It also means its getting close to Halloween! Halloween is a great time for fun for kids of all ages. But it can also be a fun and creative time for whole family. It’s estimated that about half of the homes will be decorated for Halloween around the world. There are some great ways to make your home appear very scary for not a lot of money and be able to spend some great family time together. Here are some tips for creating a great Halloween landscape.
Lighting Options
Light strings are a good starting point when thinking about Halloween lights. They come in a variety of colors such as orange, black, green and puple among others as well as other colors and they are relatively inexpensive. They are also available in different themed shapes like pumpkins, goblins, ghosts and candy corn. They can be hung from trees and shrubs, strung along fences or attached to the eaves of the house.
LED lighting is another great option for Halloween landscape lighting and also less expensive to operate because they use substantially less energy. Many halloween lights now offer flashing or pulsing LED lights and come in many colors. You can also buys uplighting with colored lenses to help create the mood. LEDs are now available in string lights, candle lights and even costume lighting.
Solar lighting has developed to a point where it has become comparable in quality and light output to other types of traditional lighting. Plus, they come in Halloween decor and they can be shaped liked ghosts, gouls or a variety of other scary shapes.
Projection lighting is a creative way to add frightening images on to your house, sidewalks or other media. One great benefit of projection lighting is that it can be a stand alone peice of decor if you choose to only use it. Plus you can buy additional slides for other holiday occasions. Lighting projectors cost between $50 – $100.
Using light covers is an inexpensive way to add some Halloween flavor without spending a ton of money. You can get them in a variety of colors and frightening shapes in many cases for under $10. They are a temporary cover so you can pull them off, store them and use them again next year.
One of the more popular choices for Halloween lighting is the UV black light. This particular Halloween light produces a dark purple glow after dark and highlights costumes and makeup that are fluorescent. You canpurchase black lights with fixtures or by themselves to temporarily replace existing outdoor lights.
These are quite a few decorative Halloween themed peices that you can purchase and can be used as stand alone peices in the yard. There are a variety of items that may include pumpkins, lighted Halloween trees, tomb stones, ghouls, goblins or any number of different themes.
Turn Your Fountain Into a Centerpiece with Landscape Lighting
Posted on August 29, 2009
Filed Under Fountain Lighting | 1 Comment
With landscape lighting, water features such as fountains and pools can be greatly enhanced with amazing effects. You can make a fountain glow, illuminate an entire pond from within or accentuate a reflecting pool. But choosing the right lighting for your water features can be the difference between just a mundane landscape component and a stunning focal point of the garden.
The most common and popular choice for fountain lighting is the submersible light. Submersible lights are placed underwater and up lite the fountain creating a shimmering effect. In addition to illuminating the fountain, the submersible lights illuminate the streams of water as they flow in to the basin. Many of these lights come with color filters that allow the user to experience vibrant and get creative with the effects of the lighting.
In addition to submersible lights, landscape lighting can be up-light with solar, incandescent or LED lighting. Solar lighting is becoming the choice for many people simply because there is no ongoing energy cost associated with solar outdoor lighting after installation. Also, solar lighting is very easy to install. LED lighting offers a great deal of creativity due to color options available and also the bulbs last much longer than incandescent bulbs. For larger fountains, a new option that is available is the moonlight globe. The globes are battery operated, come in various sizes and colors and can float in the basin of the fountain. In the right setting, smaller globes could be permanently installed around the base of the fountain to add lighting and color. They also are available with speakers in them for additional ambience.
Some water features, for instance a water wall or a floor fountain, would benefit from overhead or down lighting. In this case, the landscape lighting acts like a spotlight on the water feature. There are many different applications available here. Some lights can be incorporated in to the design of the fountain (if it is custom made) so that the lighting is obscure and nonintrusive while other fountains will require over head lighting to be attached to surrounding trees or other structures such as a building, pergola, wooden windows or lamp post.
Choosing the correct lighting techniques for your fountain will take a little planning on your part. You will want to experiment with a flashlight at night to see exactly the locations for your outdoor garden lights that will best serve you for your fountain lighting project. (If you are considering hiring someone to design a landscape lighting system for you, be sure and ask if they have a temporary kit that you can use to experiment with for a few days. Many are now offering these to their clients.)
Many times fountains are the centerpiece of the garden and need to been lighted more heavily. My advice is to choose fountain lights that will accentuate and illuminate your fountain without overpowering the surrounding landscape. Do a little research and planning prior to starting the project to insure that the results are what you desired. Visit this site to have more landscape design ideas .
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