Outdoor Post Lighting: Why It’s A Great Idea

Outdoor lighting is one home improvement aspect that you can be creative about. There are simply so many styles and designs for you to choose from. One of the best kinds to pick however is outdoor post lighting. What benefits can you get from this kind of lighting and what sets it apart from other kinds of lighting?

Benefits

Creating the Right Atmosphere – Just like any other style of outdoor lighting, outdoor post lighting fixtures are not just mere lighting fixtures. They are also great decorative elements even when not in use. Your preferred kind of outdoor post lighting can easily complement your home theme and provide an inviting ambiance when you want to spend some night time outdoors. More than anything else though, outdoor post lighting fixtures are also best for security reasons. Aside from serving as thematic decorations, your lamp posts can clearly illuminate pathways, walkways, driveways, pools, gardens and patios. This can help prevent either accidents or intrusions.

Downlighting

Downlight – What sets outdoor post lighting apart from other styles of lighting is its ability to downlight. This simply means that post lights can provide illumination from above. This is the reason why street lights are often really large variations of outdoor post lighting fixtures. They can provide clear illumination in areas that they are placed in. Outdoor post lighting for homes is perfect for night time fun and dining because you can easily see everything that is going on especially if you are preparing food and drinks.

The Sizes

Fixtures for outdoor post lighting come in different sizes. Traditional post lighting really had one size in the past. Old post lights towered way over human users and objects in gardens and paths. These days though, you can get decorative post lights that are a little shorter or even shorter than average human adults.

It is suggested though that if you have more than just aesthetics in mind, then you should opt for full length posts that are a little taller than you are. This will ensure that its downlight function is not impeded and you can therefore easily see what you need to do.

Designs

Variety in designs is also one thing you can be creative about. For homes, accented or decorative post lighting are the best. You can pick a simple box type lamp, a European globe type lamp or an antique looking glass blown lamp to complement an elegant and classy home. Outdoor post lighting fixtures also come in various themes. You can pick a Western or Oriental theme or even a futuristic theme. Of course, there are also unusual designs such as lighting with intricately detailed or curved posts.

Energy and Electrical Sources – A lot of outdoor post lighting fixtures are powered by electricity. These days though, you can also choose to buy solar powered lamp posts. These lamps can collect power from the sun during the day and use up the energy at night. These products are good to use if you want to save on both financial and energy resources.

Low Voltage

As with other outdoor lighting types, it is suggested that outdoor post lighting should come in low voltage. This won’t just help you cut your expenses, it can also show some respect for your neighbors. If you want flexibility, you can install a dimmer.

Use Only the Right Trimmers and Edgers For Your Lawn

When you care for your landscaping, you probably use your trimmer and edging tools as often as you use your lawn mower itself. Most lawn mowers don’t get to everything and almost all lawns butt up to fences, walls, etc. and have sidewalks and patios they intermingle with, that the lawnmower can’t get to. So trimmers and edgers take up the slack.

The question is, what kind should you use?

Traditional Edgers

The traditional lawn edger is dual-bladed and has a long handle. Using it is not really hard work if the blades are sharp and it requires no power or gasoline as it’s entirely hand-operated. For going around sidewalks and concrete edges, it works great, but it’s limited to those areas alone. These are lightweight, durable, and easy to use tools. They do require some muscle power, but only moderate amounts.

Electric Trimmers

Electric trimmers are a step above the traditional, manual edger, and feature a powered cutter of either fixed blades or plastic “string” that twirls at the base to slice through foliage. The fixed-blade models are less common now because they’re fairly unsafe. The twirling string models are easy to use and fairly lightweight. The string is in a cartridge that feeds it out as needed or when the user “bumps” it on a hard surface. Fixed blades on the edges of the safety cowling slice away excess string, keeping it the right length.

Electric models are versatile, fast, and easy to operate. They can be tilted at various angles to get into tight areas or to create “beveled” edges rather than just straight 90-degree cuts. They can safely be operated up against walls, rocks, and odd surfaces without fear of damaging the object or the trimmer. These lightweight, powered trimmers are popular and come in both corded, plug-in models and more expensive, battery-operated ones.

Gas Powered Trimmers

These are a more powerful version of the electric trimmer. They have all the same characteristics except they are powered by a gasoline motor, so have no cord, and are usually heavier and of sturdier construction too. They are the tool preferred by professional landscape designers and lawn maintenance people because of their superb performance against lawn grass. These trimmers are available in a variety of models, some of which have exchangeable heads that can be used to trim bushes, cut tree limbs, and more besides just trimming lawn edges.

Whatever kind of trimmer or edger you choose, you’re likely to find that it makes your yard much better. You’ll be able to produce cleaner lines, clearer distinctions between landscaping elements, and have a yard that is nicer to look at overall.

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