Landscape uplighting for trees is an easy, affordable way to create beautiful nighttime drama around your home. Highlight the beautiful old oak, maple, or willow that’s been growing for years. Show off those summer greens, fall foliage, or winter branches with lights done right, the way landscape lighting services recommend. Here’s what you need to know.
How to Choose Fixtures for Landscape Uplighting for Trees
Use the right type of fixtures in landscape uplighting for trees to get a professional look that will last through the seasons. What should you look for in lighting fixtures? These four factors: function, efficiency, quality, and style.
Outdoor lighting fixtures do not all function in the same way. They have different shapes, which create a different light spread. Some fixtures are meant to shine a wide spread of light; others to provide a focused, narrow beam. When you install landscape uplighting for trees, you need a fixture that is designed to provide a wide spread of flight. Otherwise, you’ll only light up part of the tree and the final look will not be complete.
“Use different types of fixtures to match the type of lighting you want,” explains Daniel Frost, owner of Outdoor Lighting Solutions. “We work with premium manufacturers, and we have some really cool options from each one at different price points.”
Next, consider the efficiency of the outdoor light fixture. There’s no question about which type of bulb to use: LEDs are a clear winner over incandescent bulbs, requiring much less energy to provide the needed light intensity. You get the bright beam of light you need with a lower load on the transformer and a lower utility bill. All newer fixtures use LED bulbs. If you have old fixtures you want to use, you may be able to upgrade the bulbs to LEDs.
The next consideration is style. Some fixtures are sleek, minimal, and modern. Others are more ornate. You can choose a decorative style that’s more noticeable, or an understated fixture that blends in. The finish is also part of the style: choose the color and finish that complements your home’s exterior for a polished look. For landscape uplighting for trees, the fixture will be more functional and minimal than decorative; you want the attention to be on the tree, not the fixture.
Finally, consider the quality of the fixture. Look for marine-grade aluminum for a fixture that will last through the seasons. Solid brass fixtures are beautiful and durable. A high-quality fixture will include a lengthy warranty, and good landscape lighting services will use high-grade wiring and connectors to keep the system in good shape. If you choose to purchase cheaper, poorly made fixtures, you’ll end up replacing them sooner.
How to Install Landscape Uplighting for Trees
To install landscape uplighting for trees, consider what professional landscape lighting services know: the position, angle, and intensity of the light must be correct.
Position: if the fixture is positioned too close to the tree, it will create shadows and washed-out spots. If the fixture is positioned too far from the tree, it won’t be bright enough.
Angle: if the angle of the fixture is too low, it will only light the bottom of the tree. Too high, and it will only light up the top of the tree.
Intensity: the intensity is the strength or amount of light produced by the lightbulb. It might be measured in watts (radiant intensity) or lumens (luminous intensity). Some landscape LED bulbs have various settings for different intensities, just like you might have a bulb in a lamp which you can dim or turn to different levels of brightness. The right intensity ensures that the tree is fully lit—which is kind of the point of landscape uplighting for trees—but is not so bright that it washes out the color of the tree. A too-high intensity might also light up the surfaces behind the tree, distracting from the tree itself.
How to Plan Landscape Uplighting for Trees
There’s a final question that professional landscape lighting services know to consider: will the light grow with the tree?
Now, if you’re uplighting a fully mature, decades-old tree, this won’t be an important question. But if you want to uplight those saplings you just planted, it’s a key consideration. If the tree is relatively young, it’s going to change shape and size dramatically over the years. To make sure the landscape uplighting will accommodate the growth, you may need a fixture with a wider spread and a brighter intensity. Some professional-grade fixtures have an adjustable piece that allows for different degrees of spread, as well as varying intensity levels for the bulb.
“We have fixtures with adjustable optics built in; these allow us to change the spread of the light. And if it’s not bright enough, we can bump the brightness up as well,” says Daniel. “It’s great technology, built into a fixture which can be resealed to withstand seasonal conditions, and it still has a great warranty.”
When you’re ready to put in landscape uplighting for trees, remember: the right fixtures, correct installation, and a plan for tree growth. And if you don’t want to tackle the job alone, Daniel and Jeremy at Outdoor Lighting Solutions are ready to help. Get in touch for a free estimate.