Lighting Your Landscape: A Guide to Outdoor Illumination

A well-planned outdoor lighting design can transform the panorama of your home or business from mundane to amazing, which is why your landscape lighting scheme is as critical as its indoor counterpart.
Today, you can find nearly unlimited outdoor lighting options. The challenge is discovering which option(s) are right for your landscape.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the outdoor lighting options you can choose from, their uses, and tips on how to effectively place lighting in your landscape.
Types of Outdoor Lighting & Their Uses
There are various styles of outdoor lighting fixtures to consider when planning your landscaping design. Let’s review the key details of each option so you can better determine which might work best for your home or business.
Floodlights & Spotlights
Floodlights and spotlights are quite similar. The primary difference between these two is that spotlights project a more focused, narrow beam of light, typically about 45 degrees. In comparison, floodlights typically have much wider beam spreads, around 120 degrees.
If your goal is to highlight certain aspects of your landscape, like architectural details, then the spotlight will probably be best. And if you want to illuminate larger areas to improve visibility and safety, like in driveways or parking lots, floodlights will probably be the better choice.
Path Lights
As the name implies, path lights illuminate walkways and other paths to improve visibility, safety, and aesthetics. They can be placed at intervals according to your preferences, and are available in various styles, colors, and brightness levels. They are shorter than post lights, typically about 14 inches tall, and are installed about one foot away from the edges of the paths or small alcoves they illuminate.
Decorative Lights
Various styles of modern landscape lighting can help expand the usability of your patio, deck, swimming pool, and other outdoor areas. Bullet lights, deck and patio lights, in-ground lights, marine lights, step lights, and strip lights can all be used in multiple ways to lighten key features of your landscape.
Energy Considerations
When choosing outdoor lighting, opt for solar-powered LED lights. This type of lighting is energy-efficient and surprisingly affordable. Both electric LED and solar LED landscape lamps and fixtures require much less energy to operate than traditional lighting products, commonly about 33% less. They’re also very durable, fairly simple to set up, and have low maintenance requirements. Plus, because they operate on lower wattage, they are safer to work with.
Tips for Effective Light Placement
The goal of landscape lighting is to accentuate landscaping elements without making the light sources obvious. So, when figuring out how you’ll place your lights throughout your yard, follow these tips:
- Uplighting Trees with Spotlights: At night, the only thing people will notice is the canopy or trunk, depending on the angle of your light.
- Mixing Lighting: Use a mix of spotlights, path lights, and ambient decorative lighting for a balanced architectural effect. This avoids areas that are too bright or too dark.
- Silhouetting Objects: Use well lights or spotlights to silhouette plants or structures on your property. Place the light behind the target, shining toward the main focal point where people will be viewing from. This will add a dramatic, glowing aura without revealing the light source.
- Water Feature Lights: Include a waterproof strip of LED lights to your outdoor features (excluding ponds, as the plants and aquatic life need a period of darkness to prevent stress).
- Step Lighting: Integrate step lighting into the framing of your decks and staircases to enhance safety.
- Post Lights: If you have a long driveway, install tall post lights to mark its edges.
- Targeted Lighting: Use small-beamed bullet lights to focus attention on key landscape design features, like a recess in an exterior wall with integrated ornamental plants.
- Creating Shadows: Create shadowing effects with floodlights, spotlights, or well lights by placing them between the target and main vantage point. It’s important to have a wall or another backdrop behind the target to catch and display the shadows the lights will create.
- Bidirectional Lighting: If you have tall evergreens, you can create an incredible effect by placing two spotlights about half-way up the tree—one facing upwards and the other facing down. The bidirectional lighting will glow up, down, and outward simultaneously to generate a year-round staged effect without showing the actual light source.
- Experiment First: Always experiment before you install any fixtures. Use an adjustable-beam flashlight and test different locations and angles to better understand what types of lighting fixtures will work best in your yard.
Other Tips
- Use Warmer Light Temperatures: Warm white (2700 to 3000K) LED bulbs create a welcoming and natural light without being overly abrasive.
- Avoid Blue Light: Blue wavelengths, while beneficial during the day, can actually be bad at night. Because blue light can increase alertness and brain function, it can disrupt our circadian rhythm. Avoid fixtures using blue light and instead opt for warmer white temperatures, as mentioned above.
- Do Not Overlight: Excessive brightness can wash out features and glare (Plus, your neighbors will have it). Use low-intensity light and keep the brightness proportional to the lit area.
- Use Smart Lighting Controls for Efficiency: Motion sensors, dimmers, and timers can help optimize energy use while providing ideal lighting for different periods.
- Regularly Maintain & Adjust Fixtures: Plants grow, fixtures shift, and bulbs need to be replaced over time, so make sure you’re regularly checking your lights.
Hire a Professional to Handle Your Landscape Lighting Installation Projects
Effective landscape design and well-placed lighting can quickly make your exterior spaces more usable, enjoyable, attractive, and valuable. However, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the landscape lighting options available.
If you need help with your landscape lighting project, turn to Design One. For over 30 years, we’ve helped countless businesses and homeowners bring their visions to life. We can handle all types of projects, including landscape design and lighting installations. You can view our portfolio here or contact us today to schedule a project consultation.

As a residential and commercial landscaping company in Michigan, we’re experienced in both property care and landscaping design. With over 40 years of experience in the industry, Design One is great source of information when it comes to your Michigan lawn care needs! From preliminary design mapping, to irrigation and the types of plants you might want on your priority, we cover it all.