Light your Garden and Yard for evening enjoyment.

Garden lighting can add atmosphere and create a wonderful place to relax after the sunsets. By using lighting you can emphasis certain areas of the gardens and make wandering around the yard safer. Its also seems that by lighting a garden you extend your living space to the outdoors. And if you live in a Zone 5 climate like I do, you want to enjoy all the warm weather you can.

Here are a few suggestions to make lighting the yard successful, fun and easy.

• Use the minimum amount of light so that you can enjoy the special qualities of nighttime. If you supply too much light you will ruin the enchanting feel that the evening brings to gardens. One of the best ways to create this feeling to try and simulate the light level of a bright, moonlit night.

• Light the pathways in your garden. Even if you don’t have defined paths you probably have a route or two through the yard or gardens that you will want illuminated for safety. Use path lights or create a series of pools of light that lead through the garden.

• It’s best to hide the sources of the lights. It adds to the natural look. If you use any lamps choose a softer non-glaring bulb for a more natural look.

• Garden torches and small hanging lanterns from trees add a welcoming look to yards. I make garden lanterns from small glass jars and older teacups. I hang them or from wire and varying heights or sit them around the yard on rocks or old stumps.

• You can also accent the most dramatic trees in the garden. The lighting emphasizes their natural beauty and adds much light to the yard.

• By planting flowers that reflect the night light and bloom at night you can add more color and fragrance to your yard. Moonlight Theme Gardens are very popular.

As with any garden art or added fixtures, use them with in moderation to to accent your yard and gardens.