Garden Highlighting Techniques: Uplighting, Downlighting, and Path Lighting

Outdoor lighting showcases gardens after dark. "Highlighting" can mean uplighting or general landscape lighting. Here's a practical guide to key techniques.

Core Lighting Techniques

• Path Lighting: Most common. Alternate sides, 6-8 ft apart for safety and ambiance.
• Wall Washing: Ground light angled at building for soft glow.
• Downlighting: From above—accent beds/features. Mount on walls/eaves. Glare reducers soften effect. Moonlighting: multiple lights high in trees for dappled moon-effect.
• Uplighting: Ground lights shining up on objects. Vary distance for angle effects. Silhouetting/shadowing: light behind object aimed at wall for dramatic shadows.

Tree Lighting

Uplighting most common. Large trees: 2-3 lights. Open-structured trees: lights near base. Compact trees: lights farther out for canopy illumination. Combine with silhouetting for trunk/branching drama.

Overwhelmed? Hire an electrician to demonstrate fixtures and options. Landscape lighting is the frosting on your garden cake.