Your home is your pride and joy as a homeowner, and landscape lighting is the perfect way to highlight its best features and make it a safer place. Plants often take center stage when it comes to your home’s exterior, but you shouldn’t underestimate the power of outdoor lighting.
Landscape lighting ranges from small solar lights lining your garden to wall-mounted floodlights that are part of your home’s electrical system. Whatever you choose, lighting has the power to transform the aesthetic of your home.
Understanding the advantages of outdoor lighting helps you choose the type of lighting that best suits your home’s features and needs. Keep reading to learn more!
Perhaps the most common reason homeowners invest in landscape lighting is for aesthetic purposes. When professionally installed, outdoor lighting can increase your home’s curb appeal and take your property to the next level. When your home is perfectly illuminated, you’ll be able to see your stunning features and landscaping, no matter the time of day.
According to a recent HomeLight survey, 94% of top real estate agents said that great curb appeal equals more money in your bank account at closing. A freshly mowed lawn, some newly potted flowers, and a welcoming door wreath go a long way, but don’t let your hard work go to waste!
Outdoor lighting plays a noteworthy role in showcasing your efforts and making your yard shine. If you want to put more money in your pocket when it comes time to sell, consider stepping up your lighting game.
Lights are essential for home safety, and luckily, security lighting doesn’t need to be an eyesore to be effective. Illuminated walkways will make your home a safer place for your family, friends, and other guests visiting your property. This will help guide people at night and prevent injuries from tripping down the stairs or running into flower pots.
Outdoor lighting is also a simple way to deter crime. Burglary is one of the biggest threats to your home, but lights are an excellent way to secure your home. This shows that your home is cared for, which can deter trespassers and theft. You can also set timers on your lights to come on when you’re away on vacation or out late.
If you feel like your yard needs a landscaping overhaul, try showcasing what you already have! By strategically placing outdoor lights throughout your yard, you can highlight the stunning features you already have. You can guide people to your front door, show off your planter boxes, or keep guests from accidentally falling in the pool.
Here are a few other ways you can use outdoor lighting to your advantage:
Many homeowners enjoy spending time outside on their patio or deck, but once the sun sets, these spaces become unusable. Landscape lighting helps extend the use of these outdoor living spaces so that no gathering area goes to waste. You’ll use your open-air spaces more often and feel safe doing so.
As the seasons change and the sun sets earlier, many people spend less time outside, which contributes to problems like seasonal depression. Bright exteriors eliminate this problem by making it possible to enjoy your yard all year long. You’ll be able to appreciate the leaves rustling in the fall, how the lights reflect onto freshly fallen snow and the crisp scents of springtime. Curated lighting will give your yard a different experience from month to month that you’ll be able to relish.
LED technology has transformed the lighting world and is the backbone of any landscape lighting design. This technology expands the bulb’s lifetime and uses at least 75% less energy than traditional lighting. Less energy means less heat, lower cost, and more light. You can use less electricity for the same light output, saving you money and giving you the satisfaction of helping the environment.
Some people are apprehensive about installing outdoor lighting because they assume the upkeep will be a nuisance; fortunately, the opposite is true. A professionally installed system can be set to turn on and off at certain times, so you never have to worry about manually doing it yourself.
Additionally, the lights will be connected, so you won’t have to plug in dozens of cords or worry about deciphering light switches. Most companies also have an ongoing service program to ensure your system continues to perform flawlessly for years to come.
Now that you understand the immense benefits of outdoor lighting, you probably wonder where to start. Here are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind as you transform your yard:
Are you ready to take your property to the next level with stunning landscape lighting? Aeroscape Property Maintenance & Landscaping is here to help. Our landscaping experts are prepared to serve your Utah home or business all year long, from landscape design and installation to sprinkler repair and everything in between.
We provide superior property maintenance and landscaping services in Midvale, Utah, and throughout the greater Salt Lake area, including Park City, Draper, Orem, etc. Contact us today to get started!
Having a yard with a stunning landscape design can make it more enjoyable to host guests and encourage you to spend more time outdoors yourself. Your home should be your safe haven, and your yard can be an extension of that.
Beautiful landscaping in your yard can create a place you enjoy being and bring friends and family too. Not only that, but it can also increase the value of your property if you ever decide to sell your home.
A beautiful yard is every homeowner’s dream, but finding the right plants to incorporate into your landscape can be more complicated than you might think. There are many things you need to consider when choosing plants for your yard.
The location, amount of sunlight the plant will receive, how much access to water it will have, and how much space you have for the plant to grow will all impact your decision. Choose the wrong plants for the wrong places, and you might find yourself having to replace them in a year or two.
Here’s a guide to some of the most popular plants you should consider incorporating into your Utah home’s landscape.
This beautiful shrub requires very little water and grows well in rocky ground, making it ideal for Utah’s desert climate. Cliffrose is part of the rose family. It will attract bees and hummingbirds to your yard, and it smells fantastic.
The shrub blooms with beautiful white flowers in the late spring and early summer and might even bloom a second time during particularly wet summers. This rose bush will require plenty of space and full sunlight. It can grow up to eight feet tall and should be pruned in the late winter or early spring.
Boxwood is one of the most popular shrubs for lining the walkways and gardens of Utah homes. This boxy plant is excellent for sculpting, and it comes in many different shapes and sizes. This beautiful shrub has dark green leaves that hold its color well.
The best part? Boxwoods are resistant to frost, so you don’t have to worry about them dying during Utah’s harsh winters. Deer don’t care for them much either, so if you have them in an open yard, you can rest assured that they won’t be nibbled on.
Evergreen trees are an excellent choice for Utah landscaping because they hold their beautiful green color all year round. Juniper is part of the evergreen species, and they are lovely in any yard or garden. Young juniper trees need plenty of water, so it’s essential to water them during dry spells for the first two years after planting. After that, they can make do with rainfall alone. They do best in well-drained soil and need a good amount of sunshine. They don’t require much by way of pruning, and they’ll make your yard smell and feel like a forest.
Juniper comes in many varieties depending on the appearance you’re going for, and they’re incredibly durable to withstand Utah’s everchanging climate.
This desert plant has beautiful blue-green foliage that flowers in the late summer and then turns golden bronze in late fall. It does best in well-drained soil and is extremely hardy. It can withstand temperatures up to -38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Little Bluestem is a tall, ornamental grass that reaches up to 4 feet in height. It’s extremely drought tolerant, which makes it ideal for Utah landscapes that don’t get as much water.
There are more than 6,500 varieties of peony, each one as beautiful as the last. These stunning flowers are long-lasting and grow well in sunny Utah yards. They need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day and grow best in well-drained soil.
Peony plants don’t need tons of water but should be watered every 7 to 14 days or once the soil becomes dry. They are relatively carefree and easy to grow, and they can withstand cold winter temperatures. Watch for their big beautiful blooms in late May or early June.
There’s a huge variety of fruit-producing and edible plants that would do well if included in your landscape design. While some are best saved for summer gardening, others can be included as a part of your everyday landscape.
Raspberry and blackberry bushes thrive in the summer and are hardy enough to survive through cold, snowy winters. The same is true of many varieties of grapes. Utah properties can also successfully grow apple, cherry, peach, and pear trees to yield fruit in the summer and fall.
Remember that edible plants generally require more maintenance and upkeep than other plants and trees. But if you’re willing to put in the work, they are an excellent choice to incorporate into your landscape.
The red elderberry shrub belongs to the huckleberry family. It grows anywhere from 7 to 20 feet in height, but its soft leaves and stems make it easy to trim and maintain. The bright green leaves bring a beautiful variation to any landscape, and in late spring, you will find it covered in tiny white flowers.
Red elderberry draws hummingbirds and butterflies, which can benefit all of your other plants as well. Avoid eating the raw red berries since they can make you sick, but they make delicious jam and syrup if you cook them. This shrub needs well-drained soil and full to partial sunlight. It’s easy to grow and does well in Utah’s climate.
Are you ready to improve your Utah home’s landscape with these beautiful plants? Aerorscape Property Maintenance & Landscaping is here to help. Our landscaping experts are prepared to serve your Utah home or business all year long, from landscape design and installation to sprinkler repair and everything in between.
We provide superior property maintenance and landscaping services in Midvale, Utah, and throughout the greater Salt Lake area, including Park City, Lehi, and more. Contact us today to get started!
