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.

to learn more visit our landscape outdoor lighting kit section or read more about landscape outdoor lighting kits.

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