Using Solar Power in Landscape Lighting There are 2 ideas on landscape lighting that most people think about

when they decide to switch to Solar Power in using Landscape Lighting. The first is to make it safe for both you and your guests. Secondly, to enhance the beauty of your home. Here are a few ways to do both: Solar Powered Deck and Patio Lights ecks and patios are designed to be places for entertainment but without the proper lighting they can be !ery ha"ardous, especially if you ha!e any ele!ation changes at all like steps, planters or seating. Solar Powered Landscape lights can be added to a deck or patio !ery easily to illuminate these ele!ation changes and make it a pleasant place to be for outdoor li!ing. There are se!eral options a!ailable like the recessed lights that fit flush into the deck itself. Landscape Lights are !ery durable and can e!en be stepped on with out shattering. #nother option for deck lighting can be to ha!e lamps on the deck. Solar Powered eck lamps come in many different shapes and si"es and can be a beautiful addition to your deck. $ith proper planning they can be part of the design and add an element of beauty to your deck or patio. #nother option to consider is adding post cap lights to your deck. %our deck design would benefit from the added detail and the beauty Solar Lights would bring to it. Solar Powered Water Fountains Solar Powered Landscape lighting can enhance water features such as Solar Powered fountains with incredible effects. # Solar Powered $ater fountain can glow and a small pond can be transformed from below the water surface with L& lighting. %ou want to be sure and choose the correct kind of solar powered lights for your situation though' it will make all the difference in terms of how your water feature will be percei!ed. The most common choice for fountain lighting is the submersible light. These lights are placed underwater and illuminate upwards to create a shimmering effect. They also help to illuminate streams of water as they flow into the basin of the fountain. (olored filters can be added for creati!ity. L& landscape lighting is a good choice for fountains because of the many !i!id colors. Solar

lighting is by far the cheapest and easiest to install and is becoming a popular choice for many because of this. Howe!er, you may want to check the wide !ariety of solar powered lights for your particular setting. The technology is getting better with solar powered lights and so is the !ariety. (hoosing the correct lighting techni)ues for your fountain will take a little planning on your part. %ou will want to e*periment with a flashlight at night to see e*actly the locations that will best ser!e you for your fountain and solar powered lighting pro+ect. Solar Powered Walkway Lights Solar Powered $alkway lighting is crucial because it adds safety as well as accentuates the materials used on your path as well as surrounding plantings. The most popular these days is solar lighting. %ou can add solar powered lights to your walkways in as little as a couple of hours and for less than ,-./. Solar powered Lighting kits usually come with a number of lights and your power source. Tree Lighting Tree lighting usually in!ol!es up lighting and0or down lighting. 1p lighting can be accomplished with lighting fi*tures that are mounted at the tree2s base or around the drip line and aimed up towards the trunk and branches. This is a great techni)ue when you ha!e specimen trees with interesting branching patterns, for e*ample the Li!e 3aks. Solar power lighting is the best option because as it pro!ides enough light to accomplish the effect it is !ery cost effecti!e. 4ounting lights in large trees on established branches and then aiming the lights downward to highlight bedding areas. Solar powered lights are also a!ailable in many different colors and designs that can really add some creati!ity and life to your landscape. They are operated by the sun and can be hung from your established trees. Wall Lighting Solar powered wall lights can be done in se!eral ways. 3ne techni)ue is 5gra"ing5. 6ra"ing is accomplished by installing a light appro*imately 75 from the edge of your wall or facade and aiming it !ertically up the wall. The te*tures of your house, fences or retaining walls will be highlighted and

accentuated using solar powere. #nother way to light a wall is by using spot lighting. Spot lighting can be done by either up or down lighting. # creati!e way to use spot lighting is by up lighting a tree or any ornamental structure, for e*ample a statue, by shadowing it. Shadowing is accomplished by positioning a light behind the ob+ect and aiming the light through it towards a wall. Silhouetting an ob+ect is another e*ample of up lighting a wall using spot lights. %ou will want to locate your landscape light in between your ornamental piece and the wall, then position the light to shine on the wall at a 8/ to 9. degree angle. The result is that the dark image of your ob+ect is in front of it' only the shape of the ob+ect is shown, no leaf or flower color or te*ture shows up. Here are fi!e super easy techni)ues for solar powered landscape lights. The key to ha!ing good results is a little planning before beginning your pro+ect and a little creati!ity.