This is the first in a series of posts devoted to the topic of garden lighting from Patrick and Laura Harders of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Northern Virginia. Patrick has been in the lighting industry for 10 years and both him and his wife Laura are authors for the popular outdoor lighting blog: OutdoorLightsBlog.com.
If you’re like me, you probably know a few avid gardeners. Gardeners are a dedicated breed devoted to the art and science of planting, tending and nurturing seeds, stalks and foliage. They take much pride in their gardens and landscape. Countless hours are spent planning, planting, pruning and weeding during the day so that they can enjoy a lovely garden, be it full of flowers, vegetables, spices, or fruit trees. For the fruits of their labor they can enjoy a beautiful garden in the daylight. But what about evening enjoyment?
A little over a year ago, a prospect approached us at one of the most popular home and garden shows in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and explained that she was an avid gardener and had an extensive property of gardens that she wanted to illuminate for evening enjoyment. She told us that she had come to this home and garden show for the sole purpose of finding an outdoor lighting company, so we were more than pleased to talk with her and set up a free nighttime design consultation had the pleasure of working on numerous outdoor lighting projects for her over the next year, gradually adding lights to different sections of her property.
Our company installed high quality, durable, outdoor lighting for her gardens and walkways including solid brass and copper up lighting for trees and statues. Both she and her husband have enjoyed the illumination for strolling through their gardens after dusk as well as for entertaining guests outdoors. Thanks to our landscape lighting they are able to enjoy their gardens even after the sun has set.
When considering exterior lighting for your own garden, we suggest researching different outdoor lighting companies in your area as well as the type of fixtures they offer, their warranties and maintenance plans, and individual/crew installation techniques/expertise. Read this post for more tips on What you should look for in an outdoor lighting contractor.
Stay tuned for the next post in our series on garden lighting next week, when we’ll discuss the type of fixtures and materials best suited for the application of garden and landscape lighting.
~Laura