Enchanted Evenings

Are you limiting the enjoyment you get from your yard by scurrying back inside when the sun goes down? If you are, you're depriving yourself of some of the landscape's most enchanted hours. Think about it this way. When you're drawn to take a walk outside by the light of the silvery moon, how does your landscape look as illumination spills over the fences and trees? Almost magical, right? What a shame to see your yard that way only when the moon is full. With the right lighting system, you'll be able to turn on the enchantment whenever you want.

"Lighting really adds romance and ambiance to the landscape," says Roger Fiske, a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association and owner of Fiske Landscaping, Inc. in San Ramon. As a landscape architect and contractor, Fiske has been designing and installing low-voltage lighting systems for his residential clients since the mid-1980s. In business in San Ramon since 1972, Roger and his wife, Candy, have been working together for 43 years. "We love creating beautiful gardens for nice people," Roger says. And that includes bringing the garden to life after dark.

With a properly designed landscape lighting system, you can let the kids play a couple more games of soccer or croquet, Fiske says. You can sit out on the patio or deck and enjoy a quiet evening under the stars. You can increase the safety and security of your property, and you can even expand your interior living space because you'll be able to see your landscape from inside the house.

"Low-voltage lighting has made (landscape lighting) much more popular for homeowners," Fiske says. By using the right fixtures, and placing them in strategic locations through the property, you can easily increase the time you spend outdoors after sunset. And the right system, one that uses quality lamps and fixtures and follows time-honored design principles, will provide years and years of pleasure.

Even with all these advantages, though, many of us think about installing light fixtures only on our stairs and walkways. That could be a big mistake — enjoymentwise. If there's a fountain, water feature or gazebo in the yard, why not light it for nighttime viewing? A particularly beautiful stand of trees or plants will steal the show if they're lighted so their leaves and branches cast dramatic shadows on the lawn or fence. And think about the intriguing effects that can be created by lighting your home's architectural features such as porticos, doorways, trellises, corbels, even archways. "Washing light up and down on the walls of the house can be beautiful," Fiske says. "Especially if you've got a stone house. Those are beautiful with the lights shining up."

Of course, the best time to have a system designed and installed is when your landscape project is under way. That way contractors can take advantage of the trenches that have been dug for irrigation and planting to lay electrical lines and connections.

But if you miss that chance, don't despair. You can add lighting to the garden anytime, and the variety of fixtures and lighting levels is almost endless. "There are uplights, downlights, path lights and tree lights, wide beams and narrow beams — that's the beauty of it," Fiske says about the latest generation of outdoor lamps. "There are wide angle floods, narrow floods, narrow spotlights and very narrow spotlights," he says. Wattage ranges from the subtlest 20-watt lamp all the way up to 75 watts.

By drawing from a wide palette of lighting levels, you can accentuate certain features and downplay others, which will result in a pleasing play of light that's tailored to your taste and needs. Here are some design and installation tips to consider when you're thinking about adding a little magic to your yard.

  • Don't settle for inexpensive lamp kits. An investment in high-quality lamps will pay off with years of good, reliable service. Make sure the lamps you choose are dirt and water resistant.
  • A professionally designed and installed lighting system can cost from $250 to $300 for each fixture, but that will include the appropriate transformers, cables, switching devices, fixtures and lamps, and most importantly, an expert who knows how to select the right devices and install them properly.
  • Landscape professionals will also be able to use the specific transformers, wiring techniques and connections that will lessen the loss of voltage in lamps located farthest away from the power source. One of the biggest pitfalls homeowners face when installing their own systems is that they often do not know how to size cable and transformers, Fiske says. "With most transformers you should only use about 80 percent of the power the transformer is rated for. You don't go to 100 percent."
  • Good design takes expertise. Landscape contractors have an appreciation for the details and nuances of lighting, Fiske says. They are well versed in creating moonlight and shadow effects, and they know how to spill light onto walkways and decks so the surfaces appear to be washed with light rather than saturated in a uniform glare. Remember, this is your yard you're lighting, not a baseball stadium or parking lot.
  • Make sure you're happy with lighting fixtures before you buy. "We do light demonstrations for a lot of our clients," Fiske says. "We go out and show people the effects they can get ahead of time. That way, they can see what they'll be getting."
  • Another advantage of a professionally installed system is that you can add to it as your landscape matures. "When it's designed properly you can increase wattage as trees grow because your transformers will be big enough," Fiske says. "If you just put in exactly what you need now, you won't be able to expand later."

— Joan Waters