Lighting your garden and walkways is one of the most crucial steps to creating unique and beautiful space. This is because the correct lighting can both enhance the design of your space, but also keep your guests and landscape features safe. A walkway’s purpose is to guide guests to the point of entry for your home. Whether your guests are moving from their cars, or from an outdoor entertainment space, a well lit walkway shows them the correct path. An illuminated path also prevents accidents like tripping as guests move in dim light. Some lights are especially good at defining the walkways space. By creating a well defined edge, lights can protect your landscape features and plants from being walked on by guests. In fact, lights may even draw attention to special features of your landscaping that you are particularly proud of along the walkway.
Lighting is such a crucial part of your landscape design, it should not be a last minute decision or afterthought. The placement of lights should be balanced meaning there are lights on both sides of the walkway, staggered, and not clustered at one end. The choice of lighting should be cohesive with the rest of your landscaping. Deciding which light feature to use in your Bergen County walkway can be a difficult decision with so many choices. Below are some of the most aesthetically pleasing and useful ways to light up your Bergen County walkway.
Light up Your Bergen County Walkways with Various Lighting Options:
Traditional lighting
- Luminaries
This traditional way to light up your Bergen County walkway never disappoints. Simply stagger your path with romantic tealight lanterns for a soft glow.
- Lantern lights along path
You cannot go wrong with the traditional lantern light. There are endless possibilities to choose from. Consider using slightly different styles to create some interest. Also consider using the solar powered lanterns!
String lighting
- Tube lights
One of the best and easiest ways to define the path is to place delicate tube lights along the perimeter. This creates a subtle definition of the walkway for guests without being intrusive or taking away from the design of the rest of the garden.
- Globe Lights
Everyone knows globe lights look amazing over a patio, but have you thought about lighting your Bergen County walkway with them? Place decorate stakes along your path and string globe lights on them almost to create a lit fence. This idea may not be suitable for dogs or young children.
- Fairy or string lights
One of the easiest and most creative ways to light a path is to get fairy lights and place them where you want to draw attention or provide guidance. For example, you can wrap them around the trunk of a small tree, or tangle them in the body of a flowering shrub. Either way, these lights give some variety do to their differing sizes and hues available. Bonus is: they are cheap!
Natural feature lighting
- Log lights
Consider lining your walkway with cracked logs. These logs are usually scraps because the cracks are undesirable, but you can turn them into whimsical walkway lights. Just insert tube or fairy lights into the cracks and enjoy the natural and romantic look.
- Hidden rock lights
Do you hate the look traditional light features? You can disguise your lights by using hidden rock lights. These lights look just like gray stones used to line walkways so they both provide your guests with illumination and cohesively blend in to the landscaping background.
Inset lighting
- Stair/Wall lights
If you have stairs or a wall included in your walkway at Bergen County, light is absolutely critical for the safety of your guests at night. Inset lights are the best option to design any Bergen County walkways because they are subtle, and create a beautiful shadow effect.
- Pathway edge lights
Raised walkways can be a challenge to navigate at night. You can prevent multiple ankle sprains by adding dainty inset lights along the walkway’s edge. These tiny lights almost sparkle as you look down the path to your house.
Indirect lighting
- Uplight between planters or trees
You don’t have to directly light the pathway in order to illuminate your guest’s path. You may want to avoid direct or harsh light and also create depth by uplighting trees by the walkway. Can also create a softer light and draw eyes to other landscape features you are proud of by putting uplights in between planters that contain the colorful plants or flowers.
- Moonlighting
Similar indirect lighting to uplighting trees, is the placement of lights high up in trees. This creates a “moonlight” effect as the light shines down through the leaves. You can even use different color lights for a unique effect. This idea, however, is only appropriate during seasons trees are leafed and would not necessarily give the same effect with coniferous trees.
Tips to Choose Lights for Your Bergen County Walkways
Think about how your lights will work. Logistically, some types of lighting will work better than others for the lighting features you have and the landscaping you are working with. For example, if you have a long walkway on difficult terrain or far away from the nearest electrical source, it may make the most sense for you to install solar powered lights. Will you run your lights all night? Most people opt to install a timer system so that lights will regularly turn on and off at a select time each evening. You can add to the drama of your lighting features by adding motion detection. Some chosen lights will remain illuminated on a timer, but some will only turn on as a guest is walking by. This may save money in the long run but obviously would not work for certain light features.
Contact Borst To Light up your Walkways Today!
Borst Landscape and Design can do it all! Don’t miss the opportunity to have a complimentary consultation with one of our professional designers who’ll show you how to transform your landscape from ordinary to exceptional. Whether its lighting or something more, Borst brings thirty years of experience exceeding expectations to the doorstep of your dreams. No landscape project is too small or too big.Start now! Contact us today at Borst Landscape & Design!