Determining Where You Will Put Your Landscape Lights. 

Items needed: Flashlight(s), Helper(s), Clear Night, imagination, markers 

Areas Of Architectural Interest

This is actually the creative part of your project and the most easy. On a clear night, take your flashlight(s), helper(s), imagination, and markers and head out to the landscape on your property. What you want to look for first are areas of interest on your home; i.e., brick work, stone work, arches, architectural beams, landscape stones or walls. Then, use your flashlight in one of several ways to create a simulated landscape light effect on the identified object. Once you have achieved the desired effect with your flashlight technique, you can place a marker in that spot.  

If you hold the flashlight in the following manner, you will achieve the described effect:

• Aimed up, from below the object, you will achieve an uplight effect.
• Aimed down, from above the object, you will achieve a downlight effect. 
• Aimed at an object, directly in front of the object , you will achieve a wash effect.
• Aimed directly behind an object, you will achieve a back light effect.
• Aimed at an object, at an angle and in front of the object , you will achieve a shadow effect.

Areas Of Landscape Interest

To highlight the trees, shrubs, and plants of your landscape, you will use the same, above described, "flashlight" techniques.  The lighting method you select to highlight any object, will depend on the effect you are trying to achieve. Here are some examples you can try regarding your trees and plantings.

Effects you can try...

 For large trees in the landscape directly in front of your house, aim a light, at an upward angle,  in front of the tree towards the house. This technique will produce a shadow effect.

For small shrubs, either use the same technique as described above or hold the light directly below it, at a sharper upward angle, to achieve an uplight effect.

Hold the light close to a retaining wall and experiment moving the light closer and farther away to achieve a wash effect.

Hold the light above any group of small plantings or near the edge of a pathway to achieve a downlight/pathlight effect.   

Just have fun!!... Experiment with the flashlights and you will find the most complimentary effect.

Not Sure?.... You can get some good ideas by...

To get some ideas, prior to starting your project,  you might want to take a night drive through a subdivision where homes have landscape lighting already installed. Remember, imitation is the best form of a compliment, and as you will find, there are only about three or four basic techniques you can use to highlight the areas of your home...So don't worry, you aren't stealing anyone's ideas and you may be getting some really good ones from the "experts".