Modern farmhouse front exterior landscape lit up with different outdoor landscape lights at night

Landscape Lighting Guide

Landscape Lighting Techniques

Evening walkway up to a cottage style home with variety of path lights

A great landscape lighting design can wow your friends and neighbors. Using a variety of techniques brings your home into an all new light.

The play of light and shadow on walls creates a beautiful visual appeal. There are multiple techniques that can help create the effect you want.

Illustration of a modern home exterior at night with up lighting

Wall-Wash Lighting

Illustration of a stone fence at night with up lighting

Grazing

Illustration of an exterior home with in ground lights shining on a wall

In-Ground Lighting

Illustration of an exterior home with lights shining directly on tall shrubs

Shadowing

Illustration of an exterior of a home with lights behind tall shrubs, aiming directly at the wall of the home

Silhouette Lighting

Illustration of outdoor stairs with downlights

Hardscape Lighting

Wall-wash Lighting

This technique delivers a subtle, low amount of light to a wide area, up close to the structure, with minimal hot-spots and density.

Grazing

Utilize this technique to add depth and dimension to stucco, brick, stonework or architectural features of a home or building.

In-ground Lighting

Deliver light to permanent and semi-permanent installations such as sidewalks, large mature trees, walls and flagpoles.

Shadowing

This technique directs the eye to the textures, shapes and height differences of items in plant beds, adding depth and ambiance.

Silhouette Lighting

Draw attention to an interesting shape by lighting a vertical surface behind the object to accent that unique shape.

Hardscape Lighting

Highlight stone features, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, steps, handrails, benches and more.

Lighting up pathways, walkways and garden edges is both functional and appealing, making walking safer and beautiful.

Depending on your application, you may need different techniques.

Illustration of a desert backyard garden with lit path at night

Xeriscape Lighting

Illustration of a cement pathway with path lights at night

Path & Spread Lighting

Illustration of a deck with downlights on posts

Deck & Patio Lighting

Xeriscape Lighting

Cacti, grasses and the stone used in xeriscape designs benefit from lower lumen illumination than traditional landscaping.

Path & Spread Lighting

Illuminate sidewalks, stone pathways and lawn walkways while adding a hint of intrigue to boulders and plant beds. Spread lighting uses a path light inside a landscape bed to illuminate the plantings.

Deck & Patio Lighting

Accentuate the beauty and details of decks, patios, outdoor kitchens, steps, handrails and other vertical features.

Create beautiful effects with the play of light through leaves or water. These techniques can bring a sense of calm and wonder to your yard.

Illustration of a pool with shrubs that have uplighting and creating a lit reflection

Mirror Lighting

Illustration of a backyard at night with the lights in the trees casting down

Moon Lighting

Illustration of a small waterfall with lights under the water

Underwater Lighting

Mirror Lighting

Create dream-like water scenes by strategically lighting background areas around bodies of water that then reflect the landscape off the water.

Moon Lighting

Placing a fixture high in a tree catches the details of branches and leaves, emulating the look of moonlight.

Underwater Lighting

Enhance and highlight flowing water in waterfalls, streams and fountains, creating a magical mirroring effect on still waters.