Landscape Outdoor Lighting Kits

Trees literally give life to the world, because without them, there would be no oxygen to breathe, and the soil would quickly erode in the wind and rain. As such, tree lighting is more than a science. It is an aesthetic discipline that showcases one of man’s most primal and perhaps first symbols of consciousness. Tree lighting with even the best landscaping lighting kits can never exactly be done the same way twice any more than two trees can ever exactly grow or look the same way. Residential Landscape Lighting and Design has composed this article on tree lighting as a general guideline, not a hard-fast rulebook on tree lights and landscape lighting kit installation. These recommendations are based on an average luminance of 10 foot candles and provide suggested wattages in landscape lighting kits to achieve what lighting designers call “moonlight effects”, or in layman’s terms, artificial light with the ambient, softer qualities of natural moonlight.


Residential Landscape Lighting and Design’s extensive selection of landscape lighting kits and accessories are designed with trees preeminently in mind. We seldom run across a municipality or business entities with no trees whatsoever on property. We have yet to find a homeowner with no trees in the yard, although we are sure there are a few out there somewhere. (For these people we recommend seedlings, as they can still be valued clients regardless). As such, almost every landscape tree lighting kit we provide contains a down lighting as well as up lighting components. Simply stated, these terms are merely directional in nature and do not refer to anything mysterious or technically complicated about landscape lighting kits themselves. Down Lighting means exactly what it says—shining light downward toward the ground, and up lighting means to shine the light upward. To effectively show all parts of a tree in the dead of night, one must combine these two lighting techniques so as to “wash” the tree in light. This allows viewers to clearly see the differentiation between leaves, branches, and the trunk regardless of viewing angle. Both sets of lights also have to be positioned in such a way as to illuminate the entirety of the tree’s canopy and not just the middle, vertical core.

Landscape lighting is often a very complex and highly tedious science that requires professional service organizations cross-trained in landscaping in addition to their expertise in lighting. Landscape lighting kits, however, allow private individuals the opportunity to become lighting designers in their own right, particularly when it comes to lighting their favorite trees in both front and back yards. Provided that one is physically fit enough to climb a tree, or to use environmentally safe tools that will not damage the tree, lighting and landscaping kits can transform a dark tree line along a fence or wall into an illuminated natural edifice of organic browns and living green. In the fall, the changing colors of leaves adds even more effect through Nature’s own hand, and even in the death of winter a well-lighted tree still speaks to the potential for new life in the Spring to come.

Just as light and life form a cycle of rebirth and life, so too does the choice and installation of a landscape lighting kit represent a cycle of design, aesthetic, and effect. With a little simple math, one can determine tree canopy size by multiplying the width and height of the tree in feet. Then, by assessing the density of foliage and using one’s own subjective judgment to determine exactly how much emulated moonlight will be desirable for that particular tree, choosing the appropriate landscape lighting kit simply becomes a matter of selecting from one of our lists in this category. RLLD has included a corresponding chart to help lighting designers and private individuals alike select the precise wattage level required for a tree of particular size and the necessary luminance to achieve optimal visibility according to one’s own outdoor decorative style and taste.

By: Kimberly Quang To learn more visit our landscape outdoor lighting kit section or read more about landscape outdoor lighting kits

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Five Ways to Bring the Outdoors In

If you love the outdoors, why not find ways to bring the outdoor elements you love so much to the inside of your home? It's not difficult to find creative ways to enjoy the outdoors in your own living room.

Spring Cleaning

Believe it or not, a thorough cleaning is one to bring some outdoor elements inside. Buy the freshest smelling cleaners and get out your broom and duster. Clear any musty smells that may have built up over the winter by opening your windows and let the fresh breeze clean the air. Take your curtains down and take them to the cleaners or toss them in the washing machine. Take all of your area rugs outside and shake them out. Fill some bowls full of dried flowers and add your favorite essential oil or light scented candles.

Flowers and Plants

Imported tulips and daffodils appear early in the flower markets and supermarkets and are not that expensive. When buying these flowers please remember that they should never be placed in the same vase, as the daffodils will damage the tulips as they produce a chemical, which is toxic to them. Buy some herbs and place them on your kitchen windowsill. Fill an earthenware vase with curly willow branches. Gather twigs and mosses and arrange them in a basket with faux eggs and flowering plants for a table decoration. If you are a gardener, pick flowers from your own garden, dry them and turn into an everlasting arrangement.


Sewing

Not everyone is a seamstress, but if you are you know that there is always a shop having a sale as well as some great online bargains. Why not take advantage of this and buy some pretty floral fabric remnants and make some new cushion covers for your sofa or some throw pillows for your bed. Buy some green and some white place mats and appliqué white leaves on the green ones and green leaves on the white ones. You can make tiebacks for your curtains and then sew miniature flowers on them.

Other Tips

Use a geranium leaf stencil to add decoration to a wood floor or a wall. Buy tiles imprinted with fruits, flowers or vegetables. Remember the color of your summer garden and let it be an inspiration for color schemes throughout your home. To create lovely accents for the corners of your rooms, decoupage wooden boxes with nature orientated scenes. You could also paint tiny leaves and flowers on wooden drawer handles. To give your potted plants extra style, paint terracotta pots with colorful flowers.

Finishing touches

Flowers are one of the most beautiful elements of the outdoors. Take some photographs of some pretty blooms, and then enlarge and frame them. Then hang them in groupings on a bare wall. Another way to bring outdoor colors in is to fill clear glass bottles and jars with seasonal emphasis, such as pomegranates in fall, limes or lemons in summer, green apples in spring and pinecones in winter. Arrange seasonal collages, like driftwood, sea glass and shells and put them in a shadow box frame.

You can quickly and easily find special ways to bring the outdoors in, and make your home a more beautiful place for you and your family.

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Teak Furniture - Ideal For Outdoors

When it comes to wooden furniture, most people just classify them as hardwood furniture, or softwood furniture. Simple classifications do help to make buying decisions easier. However, in reality, even when wood belongs to the same category, they can have rather different characteristics.

For example, not all hardwood is suitable for the outdoors. That is because outdoor furniture has to be exposed to external elements such as weather, moisture, insects, weeds, etc. Furniture gets damaged very easily when left outdoors for prolonged periods of time.

Therefore, if you are considering buying furniture for the outdoors, you have to be extra careful about the raw materials that is used to create the furniture. Some homeowners may just jump to conclusion and write off wooden furniture, thinking that they may rot when left outdoors. Others may think that steel furniture sounds like a better option.

In general, if you buy furniture that is made from some kind of stainless steel, it’s a relatively safe choice. However, steel is still subject to rust and oxidation, which dulls the shiny appearance of the surface. Furthermore, steel can never achieve the same aesthetic effects of wood.


If you still prefer wooden furniture, you may be comforted in knowing that there are certain types of wood that is suitable for the outdoors. Teak is one such example.

Unlike other types of timber, teak has got some unique characteristics, that may it extremely durable. In fact, teak is renowned for it’s ease of maintenance and durability. The wood contains high levels of resinous oils, which helps to keep out moisture, insects, and plant growth. You may be surprised to find that teak won’t rot even when left in the outdoors.

Teak does not grow in rain forests. It is a deciduous plant that grows in hilly areas. It is mostly found in South East Asia. But the highest quality teak comes from Indonesia. These are not carelessly harvested raw materials. The teak actually comes from specialized tree farms.

If you are looking for high quality teak furniture, be prepared to pay a premium price for the furniture. That is mainly because it takes several decades for teak trees to become mature. To get a better price for the furniture, you may wish to consider buying teak furniture at wholesale prices. The more you buy, the more discount you can ask for.

One would expect a wood that is as durable as teak to be hard to work with. Fortunately, that is not true at all. Many expert craftsmen find teak to be an easy wood to work with. In general, most teak are straight grained. You do occasionally find wavy grained teak though. For this reason, teak is a very popular material that is used to build decks, cabinets, etc. You even find it in expensive boats!

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