If used correctly, garden lighting can add to the design of any garden by highlighting focal points and illuminating seating areas. However, installing garden lighting can be a difficult task if you aren’t experienced in doing it.  This article will provide you with a few tips on how to make installing outdoor lighting simpler.

The first thing you need to think about is where the power for the lighting is going to come from. Depending on the voltage of the light you’re using you need to place a transformer somewhere within reach of a power cable in order to step down the voltage.  A transformer is a device which changes the voltage flowing from the mains to a component.  Make sure you know the voltage required by your lighting though because low voltage garden lights may need a different transformer to regular ones.

The next thing you need to think about is where you’re going to place the yard lights.  Unless you’re using solar garden lighting you need to think about where the power cable is going to run so you can hide it.  You should also make sure that the cable doesn’t run across an area where people walk as this could be a potential hazard.

If you’re using solar lighting in your backyard then you don’t have to worry about the power cable but you still need to think carefully about the position of the lighting.  Make sure you place the solar light in an area that gets direct sunlight throughout the day so when night falls it will have enough energy to keep it running through the night.

Remember, outdoor garden lighting is often much more effective when it’s used subtly and sparingly. The goal isn’t to light up the whole garden but instead to provide a focus on the gardens best bits and provide a different viewpoint to that you’d get during the day. Some people make the mistake of using a large number of garden lights when in reality only one or two are required.

You should also think about the purpose of the ground lighting as this will decide which type of solar lighting you need, how powerful it needs to be and where it should be placed. For example, aesthetic lighting of a focal point won’t need to be as bright as functional lighting used to illuminate a path or seating area. It’s important to decide exactly what the light is for before installing it whether you’re going for actual garden lighting with function or just stylish lights.

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I decided to landscape my garden and I wanted to install some garden and outdoor lighting. Instead of hiring an electrician I wanted to make it a DIY yourself project and install low volatage L.E.D. garden lights. However, in previous attempts and from what I’ve observed from friends, low voltage garden lighting is dim and wouldn’t provide the brightness level I’m looking for. With that in mind, I decided to research on what would be a good transformer and sufficient lighting to make this project work. Also, I need an end to end of 24 feet (from the furthest to the nearest lights).

Halogen lights were the first type I considered. These are very bright and cost less than LEDs on the surface. The negative here is the cost of the transformer. The pro to this con, is halogens come in a wide variety of levels. LED garden lighting, being the newer technology, could meet my needs if I wanted to go for the most expensive brands, but halogen lighting is cheap and flexible. The trade off here is cable lengths don’t really come into play but LEDs won’t give off the quality and quantity light a filament globe will. It looks like the best brand for light emitting diodes is Erco, but keep in mind this is more expensive.

Another strike against LEDs is sometimes the light casted is blue and can appear to make your plants and vegetation look blue tinted rather than green. I saw someone that recommended an inexpensive set of Crompton halogen lights for a cheaper and better light.

The HPM solar garden lights were another highly recommended light set. According to HMP, they have been designed to release different types of light for a diverse and enhanced outdoor atmosphere. These do have the standard positive quality of being no wire garden lights so you can easily install and move them to different positions with no problems.

Two other HPM products I liked were the 12 Volt Halogen lights and 12 Volt LED light sets. These are colored well to flow with greenery but don’t revert to simple camoflaugery. Obviously, we’re back to the question of halogen vs. led.  With technology continuing to progress, I’m tempted to go with LED garden lights.  HPM says they last up to 100 times longer than the average globe.  What does up to 100x mean?  I mean in that case, my cell phone background lighting.  We’ll see.