The importance of Lighting!

Hello fellow backyard enthusiasts,

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but in this part of the country temperatures have dropped considerably and for sure we will have to talk about heaters of various kinds next week.

This week, as promised, I want to talk about the second essential elements to outdoor living in all season and that’s the many facets of attractive and purposeful lighting. Any landscape architect would assure you that well chosen and placed outdoor lighting can transform your property at night, it is also essential for safety along paths and around decks, patios and stairs. I was reminded of this recently when I attended a backyard party where the lighting was sparsely placed and dim and all of us groped carefully around not seeing obstacles or stairs very well. It was a bit unsettling.

I’m sure you would agree that there are two considerations for our comfort, individual style and budget. Yikes – if it wasn’t for budget, the sky would be the limit with all that’s offered out there!

However – it doesn’t take too big of a budget to light your yard with candles. They come in all shapes and sizes. It’s a great idea to collect tall glass containers of various shapes, sizes and colors at garage sales or Art Fairs and place the candles in them to keep them candles burning in the breeze and safely out of reach for children. Arrange them in groups and experience the magic. Lots of attractive lamps that only require tea lights in them are also available.

A number of lantern sets, such as Noma Moonrays can be attractively placed in the yard to backlight plants, highlight ponds, or light the path to the refreshment tables so no one stumbles. An added attraction to these sets of lights is that they require very low voltage one set only uses an equal amount to a 15 watt bulb. Similar lamps are offered in a solar light which eliminates the need for electrical outlets altogether. This kind of lighting makes the backyard look like a fairyland in the wintertime with piles of snow reflecting a soft shimmer throughout.

Magic can also be created with strings of tiny Christmas lights woven through bushes, tree branches, arbors and entryways. These can be picked up quite inexpensively just after Christmas, so keep an eye out if you’re interested.

If budget allows, there are gorgeous tall lanterns on the market, one of the ones I saw is called a Firefly solar light (check it out on the web). It’s a stainless steel stake topped with a delicate hand-blown glass globe. During the day the solar panels charge up re-chargeable batteries which turn the lamp on automatically at dusk providing a wonderful amber glow. They are easy to relocate, help the environment by using a renewable source of energy and are easy on your electric bill.

Many similar sources of lighting are found at art or antique stores. It may take a bit of electrical know-how to bring fresh use to antique lanterns, or it may just take a candle or tea light. The important thing here is personal taste to bring that extra cozy comfort or that flair of elegance you’re looking for.

Mixed in with this continues to be the right choice of furniture. Last week I shared about red cedar outdoor furniture. Another long lasting outdoor choice is teak wood, it is imported from Indonesia. Having been used for boat building over the centuries, it has proven durability and strength. The outdoor teak furniture I’ve seen displays a quiet elegance, even in the most casual pieces. If this is part of your personal taste, teak is a good choice. Go ahead, check out one of my favorite sites on Teak Garden Furniture at, TeaksnMore.com.
Feeding the words "teak wood" into Google will also get you more info about the wood and "outdoor lighting" will get all the endless possibilities for lighting "OurBackYards". Have fun!

We’ll talk about the third essential element, outdoor heating, next time and try to make things comfortable with Halloween just around the corner!