The Beauty and Challenges of Outdoor Tree Lights
Posted by Landscaper | Filed under Landscape Lighting Trees, Outdoor Tree Lights
When I set out to write my post on outdoor tree lights and lighting techniques, I really only considered moon lighting down through branches or using trees as convenient elevated mounting for down-lighting seating or features. A trip to the city with my wife and a stroll down a beautifully lit plaza for some evening shopping convinced me I was missing a potential lighting opportunity you may wish to consider.
Outdoor tree lights can have one of (or a combination of) four objectives. You can focus on illuminating or showcasing the tree itself, subtly illuminate the tree from within to cast interesting shadows, use the tree strictly as an anchor point for lights that will illuminate other objects or you can use the tree as a framework to show off the lights. Which approach you elect to use can be influenced by any number of considerations.
As emphasized in previous posts, showcasing any plant, statue, tree or object requires an interesting specimen. Certainly, every plant or tree is not worthy of the investment of time or energy (in terms of installation and maintenance) to be cast in a spotlight. In thinking about outdoor tree lights meant specifically to up-light, spotlight or highlight a tree, you want a tree with character. That’s a bit open to interpretation but interesting bark, leaves, color or branch shapes are your primary criteria.
I’ve covered moon lighting trees with outdoor tree lights pretty well already in a previous post. Where the previous strategy employs techniques to illuminate the outside of a tree, moon lighting works from the inside out. The effect is two-fold. You want to capture
the shape and form of a tree’s branches and/or use the interior, downward light to cast dappled shadows on the ground below.
The third option is less of a tree lighting method than it is a method of lighting other things. But, given that the lights are mounted IN tre
es, it only seems right to fit this in the outdoor tree lights category. Aside from being beautiful additions to any yard, trees are also extremely convenient in that they offer an almost infinite diversity in light mounting options. Not only are you free to mount lights to target any number of angles, branches at different height give you a fair degree of flexibility in lighting elevations and spread. This means if you have a seating area you’d like lit from above or some ornamentation that would best be shown in top-down lighting,
your tree may provide an optimal mounting location for your lights.
Finally, I mentioned using a tree as a framework for lights. Your objective in using outdoor tree lights in this presentation is to show off the lights rather than the tree. What I’m referring to here are string lights gracefully incorporated into a tree’s form so that the limbs seem to be graced by the presence of thousands of fireflies. This particular application of outdoor tree lighting takes on different forms. In some cases, the limbs of the tree are emphasized. In other instances, the overall form of the tree is shown off. Or, lights may simply be incorporated randomly within the tree much like a holiday Christmas tree.
Which approach is best suited for your particular situation depends on several factors, preference among them. But all but one can be very maintenance intensive endeavors. Not only must you run power to these lights, you must get up into the tree to do so. Climbing around like a monkey for the initial installation is only part of the battle, though. You’ll most likely undertake that activity during the day to better see what you’re doing. You’ll then need to get back into the tree in the evening to adjust any lights you aren’t happy with. Worse, you’ll likely have to repeat the effort once a year to readjust lights or change bulbs. Of all the landscape lighting options out there, outdoor tree lights probably represent the most challenging in terms of maintenance.
Of course, climbing into trees to install lights brings up some serious safety concerns. While some of this may not need mentioning, I’m going to mention it anyway. Be safe! If at all possible, use a ladder rather than climbing onto branches. What appears to be a perfectly sound branch may break once you’ve put your full weight on it. Have a helper handy to hold the ladder as well. That last emphasizes the point that you should never do this work alone. Have a spotter handy. Even if they contribute little or nothing to the effort, they are your lifeline should you fall out of the tree and be incapable of calling for help.
I am a regular rock climber. I’m not a professional, but I’m pretty good. I routinely navigate inverted surfaces and scale hundreds of feet. To put the importance of safety into context, there are those who could climb circles around me; pros, who have died while doing tree pruning for some extra money in their spare time. It only takes a fall of six feet to kill you if you land on your head or neck. So, last time, be careful, be safe, have help handy. Take whatever precautions you can, even if they seem a bit over the top. You’ll enjoy your lights a lot more if you’re alive to see them lit.
Of the outdoor tree light options listed, obviously the easiest to maintain and install is the kind in which you shine lights up into the tree. This requires no aerobatics on your part and maintenance is as simple as bending over. Though I’ll reserve specifics for a future, detailed post, your only real considerations are the types of landscaping lights you want to use (recessed, spotlight, etc) and viewing angles so as not to blind visitors to your yard. I’ll also point out an advantage to this style of lighting and that’s reflection.
You see objects and color because of light bouncing off those objects. A benefit of the nature of light is that when you illuminate an object, you also illuminate (to a much lesser degree) the objects that reflected light reaches. For a perfect example of this you just need to go outside on a clear night with a full moon. I routinely walk through the woods near my house on moonlit nights without any problems. The Moon isn’t a light source, just a source of reflection for sunlight. With a fairly generous tree canopy, the light reflected back from your tree lights may even be sufficient to modestly light up the space under the canopy. While probably insufficient to read by (the height of your tree canopy will determine a lot about the intensity of light reaching the ground) it may be sufficient to serve as comfortable mood lighting. That can represent some cost savings to you as you may need less lighting for the space.
Whichever option you choose outdoor tree lights can provide some spectacular results and should, if nothing else, factor into consideration as you plan your landscape lighting layout. You may opt against lighting your trees because of the maintenance complications or because the effect doesn’t fit into your plans, but to forgo consideration entirely would be an oversight. A tastefully lit tree of appropriate specimen is simply a beautiful addition to a garden.
Tags: landscaping, landscaping lights, outdoor landscaping lights, outdoor tree lighting, Outdoor Tree Lights
The Good and Bad in Choosing Landscape Lighting Kits
Posted by Landscaper | Filed under Planning Outside Lighting, landscape lighting kits
If you’ve considered outdoor garden lighting but have balked at the cost of having a professional do the work, there is an option that requires only minimal tools and expertise to get the job done. Landscape lighting kits offer an accessible option at a reasonable price for those of us who don’t live in mansions but still want to beautifully illuminate the hard work we’ve put into our modest gardens.
While you may be able to accomplish your goals with a landscape lighting kit, they are neither a fool proof nor perfect solution for all people and all settings. The do-it-yourself approach comes with problems of its own and kits have their limitations. Today’s post will hopefully help guide you through your decision so you can draw an informed conclusion about whether or not a kit is the best option for you.
Clearly the greatest advantage of using a landscape lighting kit is realized in terms of cost savings. Kits can hit some remarkably low prices. One example is a 14 piece light set made by Malibu and available on Amazon for a paltry $52! At those prices you’d almost think yourself foolish NOT to buy it. But before you make the leap, read on.
The cost benefits of kits exist for two reasons. The first is that you do all the work. Rather than having a landscaping professional charge you a sometimes painful amount for the work, you need very minimal skill in electrical work and tool use to get these things in the ground. That said, you will still be investing several hours of your time to get things done. That’s fine if you’re pulling in a middle class income or less, but a well paid lawyer or consultant might actually save more having a pro do the work.
The second (and more important) reason an outdoor lighting kit might cost so little sometimes results in a big disappointment for the consumer. To keep costs down, those super inexpensive lighting kits are made of plastic. That in itself isn’t so bad, but plastic doesn’t respond well to high temperatures. That means the bulbs in those plastic lights have to be relatively low watt bulbs in the range of 20 Watts (for spotlights) or 10 to 15 Watt (for accent lights).
Are low wattage bulbs really such a bad thing? Well, that depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. If your goal is to define a border, like along a path, for safety then a low watt light kit is perfectly acceptable. The pools of light cast by these bulbs will be fairly anemic, though, providing less in terms of illumination than you might hope. Essentially, the light itself becomes a beacon of demarcation rather than the fairly inadequate pool of light it will cast.
The 20 Watt spotlights might be fine for illuminating relatively small specimen plants and, used correctly with the background in fairly close proximity, may even allow you to pull of some shadowing effects. Likewise, you can probably uplight smaller tree trunks though you may need to double up on the spotlights to do so. You’ll certainly be hard pressed to effectively uplight the branches of larger trees. Incidentally, we’ll speak a bit more about outdoor tree lights in our next post.
An additional down side is that you’re very limited in style with a kit. You’ll receive a set of one or two different kinds of lights. Generally you’ll get a standard set of post lights for borders and/or a few spotlights. Should you subsequently deem a spot to be better served by recessed lighting or prefer another style entirely, you’re back to square one. There isn’t a lot in the way of creative freedom.
Sounds a little grim so far, but stick with me. My intent here isn’t to turn you off to the idea of inexpensive landscape lighting kits, but to manage your expectations a little. There are certainly upsides to these kits such as, as already mentioned, affordability. I’m even willing to give credit for their plastic construction. Wait, didn’t I just condemn these lights for their plastic construction? Well, yes, because of the low wattage element. But there is a plus.
Plastic landscaping lights may be cheap to construct, but they’re surprisingly tough and durable. In addition, the designs are all but indistinguishable from metal models at night without very close inspection. Another great point is that landscaping lights are subject to all kinds of abuse from people tripping on them to damage from lawnmowers and weathering. Replacing a single metal light can be an expensive proposition. Replacing a single plastic light is a whole other matter and very cost effective.
Ease of installation is another feature you just can’t beat with landscape lighting kits. A few simple tools, a bare-minimum understanding of electrical work and you’re pretty much good to go. Do your research ahead of time, though, to ensure you have everything you need to get the job done.
A final perk with lighting kits is that they allow you entry into what would otherwise be a fairly expensive hobby. For a fairly low cost, you can experiment with placement and approaches to find what you like best and scale up from there.
There are some other issues we could discuss (both in favor and against) but the key is simply this. Know what you’re getting and what your limitations will be. For some of you, inexpensive garden lighting kits will be the perfect fit. Others, with grander ambitions or property to light will be better served by a professional solution or by piecing together their own set of lights that fit their specific needs.
Tags: garden lighting kits, landscape lighting, landscape lighting kits, landscaping lights, lighting kits, outdoor lighting kit, Outdoor Tree Lights
