The use of outdoor lighting to enhance the home landscape has come a long way from its earliest uses -- when solar-powered pathway lights sprouted like so many planted seedlings in neighborhoods across America.

A drive down the residential streets in almost any town today will reveal a totally different attitude and approach to lighting by homeowners who want to enjoy their environment on warm summer and autumn evenings.

Aside from lighting for safety, which still is used widely, architectural features of homes now glow, and landscapes bask from fixtures that spotlight accents or flood entire plant borders.

"People today view the home landscape as an art form that is continually sculpted to provide pleasure and enjoyment," says Lou Manfredini, national home improvement expert and Ace's Helpful Hardware Man. "Why should the outdoors be enjoyed only during the day, when the yard can be a wonderful place to be, or see, at night when it is creatively lighted?"

This is particularly true as people spend more time outdoors at home to grill, garden and entertain. Sixty-two percent of retailers surveyed at a recent Ace Hardware convention said sales last year of outdoor items such as lighting, grills and furniture indicate that people are spending more money on their yards and outdoor décor.

One trend, Manfredini said, is to add lighting as changes occur in the landscape.

"Consider lighting as a work in progress, not a one-time installation. Many homeowners start with the basics -- lighting a sidewalk or driveway, then adding security sensor fixtures. But as those projects are completed, other creative ideas can come to fruition."

Manfredini cited one example of a homeowner who installed a new patio, placing perimeter lamps to designate the shape of the area and spots to burnish two nearby trees. Later, when a large fountain was installed, a lamp was added nearby that played light on the cascading water. The homeowner also discovered a stairway from an upper deck to the patio was too dark and added small lamps onto the stair railing that shone on the steps.

"Some homeowners glean good ideas from viewing lighting in arboretums, horticultural parks or even from the way a stage play is lighted in a theater," he said.

Some decorative and functional uses of lighting Manfredini has seen lately include:

Silhouetting a sculpture with a flood lamp that created a shadow of it on a wall.
Lighting garden accent pieces such as a trellis, birdbath, wall, fence or pillar.
Focusing attention to a specimen plant, such as a favorite tree, shrub or flower border. Also, backlighting plants for dramatic effect.
Floodlighting a play area for children.
Lighting in a pond, shining outward, or on a miniature waterfall flowing into the pond.
Using lights to make a small yard look larger.
Highlighting the entry doorway of the home, or drawing attention to some special feature of the house, such as an arch.

A wide variety of outdoor lighting can be found at the neighborhood hardware store or home center. Some popular types of outdoor illumination include whimsical shapes such as flowers, flamingos and dragonflies; patriotic themed-lights; umbrella lights; super spheres and classic lanterns.

Before beginning to plan lighting to enhance your yard, professional lighting planners suggest you think about how your yard will be used, the traffic patterns, where and how you might entertain guests and how the children use the yard. Manfredini suggests caution to not overuse light.

"Too many lights, or placing them in the wrong positions can ruin a good intent," he said. He suggests placement to emphasize a natural look.

One way to accomplish this is to temporarily position fixtures at night to see the effect prior to permanent installation.

"That's less expensive than digging everything up and starting over," he said.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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