Landscape lighting, unlike plain security illumination, usually is made up of several low-wattage lamps that are placed to beautify as well as shed light on an area. For example, lights leading up to the doorway provide a visual invitation to visitors and help prevent tripping, while simultaneously helping to keep people off the lawn. Extra lights along the walkways can draw attention to especially nice plants.

Away from the walkways, outdoor lighting can be used to illuminate gardens, specimen trees, and other nice areas of the landscape. Areas that would be overlooked during daylight hours are easy to appreciate at night when highlighted with strategically-placed outdoor lights. Having a lot of low-wattage fixtures, when placed artistically, also gives an overall warm and peaceful appearance like that seen in Norman Rockwell or Thomas Kinkade paintings.

Another popular use for landscape lighting is to illuminate ponds, pools, and other water features. A waterfall in the landscape can look almost magical at night when sparkling with the light from a well-placed fixture. Ponds are similarly enhanced by light. It is also safer for a pond, swimming pool, or other watery area to be lit, since those not completely familiar with your property may not expect such features.

With a nicely-done arrangement of landscape lighting, security illumination can be beautiful as well. Areas that need to be well-lit can appear as if they just naturally fell into the pools of light provided by outdoor lighting fixtures, keeping them secure while maintaining their attractiveness. Nice-looking larger outdoor fixtures can augment the illumination if need be.

These are just some of the several uses of outdoor lighting to enhance the landscape. Take a look around your property and you’ll surely spot many places where some outdoor fixtures are just what’s needed to keep it looking beautiful all night long.

With a wide variety of elements and materials that can be used for hardscape design there is an enormous amount of opportunity and possibility. Common uses include areas for moving, sitting and relaxing, and for complementing the landscape. Paths are often constructed to connect different areas of the landscape, such as the driveway to the home, or the patio to an arbor or pond. Patios and deck areas provide space to cook or relax and socialize in comfort. Retaining walls can beautifully separate different levels of the garden and establish a boundary between a garden and path or patio. A variety of material possibilities give you many options for blending and combining materials with your garden. Stone, wood, concrete, stamped concrete, pavers, and flagstone all have different textures, colors and qualities. Many of these materials, such as stone and wood, can elegantly complement one another and sit beautifully in your garden.

Hardscaping can improve the design of your landscaping in several ways. At a fundamental level, it helps to define spaces within the landscape and establish different functions within it. The various elements and materials can provide an accent and contrast to your garden and home, and changes in materials can help to dictate a flow of events and changes in function. For example, a stone path may lead through a wooden arbor and to a patio of pavers. Careful integration of the hardscape into the landscape will create functional spaces that enhance the aesthetics of the whole area. For example, good patio design may include a retaining wall to separate the patio from a garden, a unique material to establish the patio and its boundaries, as well as ample room for seating. Hardscaping enhances the design of your landscape while adding function, value and enjoyment.

Hardscaping
Hardscaping can be thought of as the foundation of landscaping. This can include walkways, walls, driveways, and patios. There are many varieties of products and colors to use when creating and incorporating a hardscape design. Your property is an empty canvas waiting to become a masterpiece and hardscaping is the foundation of that journey.

Water
Ponds and waterfalls add a beautiful and relaxing touch to any landscape. Can you imagine sitting on a patio and letting all of your stresses melt away while listening to the calming sounds of flowing water? Including a waterfall or a pond can create this vision to be enjoyed by many.

Irrigation
Any landscape needs a vital nutrient that Mother Nature can provide – water. Unfortunately, nature is fickle and does not work on our timetable, she creates her own. Think of developing and implementing an irrigation system in your landscaping design as a support system for Mother Nature. When she cannot provide the most important element, an irrigation system can. If you’re thinking of staying green, there are irrigation systems out there that can help conserve water and energy.

Outdoor Lighting
Installing an outdoor lighting system can serve up many benefits to a property’s owner. Including lighting in your landscape can highlight the beauty of your design at night by focusing on the best parts, or just showing the whole thing off. In addition to that, outdoor lighting can also serve as a safety feature. How many times have you come home late at night and have trouble finding your house keys, or you simply have trouble finding the keyhold in your door? Sometimes, if it’s really dark, you may have trouble seeing where you are walking. With outdoor lighting implemented, installing it in prime places and strategically in your landscape design can help in these potentially dangerous situations.

With landscaping and design, you can turn an ordinary property into a masterpiece. It is a great way to make your property unique and set it apart from the rest!

One of the reasons why people are using low voltage lighting is to increase the value of their home. One of the biggest concerns right now for home buyers is a safe exterior. If your home can have more safety and security, it will be worth much more on the open market. The home invasion rate is at an all-time high right now, so prospective home buyers are looking for homes that provide something extra in terms of security. With that in mind, low voltage lighting can help light a path for people coming to your home. It can make the home much more inviting and in turn, a better place for entertaining or for just raising a family.

But security is not the only reason that people are going with new forms of outdoor lighting today. It has a lot to do with improving the look of the home, as well. If you are like most people, you probably take a great deal of pride in your landscaping and the look of your home’s exterior. It’s a big part of the equation for any homeowner, so you should take the measures to highlight the good parts. If there are some nice structures on the outside of your home or you’ve done good things with the physical landscaping, then low voltage outdoor lighting can help make the home look much better at night.

These are both things that will bring more value to the home, both in terms of the real estate market and your outright intrinsic value. It’s something that is becoming much easier to do and there are lots of different lighting options. From flood lights to soft spotlights, these things offer different strengths in terms of bringing out the best. Homeowners should be prepared to use these things if they want the home to look its best.

Color

Color is very important in landscape design. It serves as the vital force of the landscape because it adds flair to the garden. After all, who would want to see a yard that’s bland and colorless. Custom landscape design can either provide you with the appropriate colors to match your home or, allow you to dictate the theme yourself. Aside from adding charm and appeal, colors also evoke emotions. Warm colors like yellow, red, and orange tend to give out amiable feelings and stand more prominently. Cool colors like green, purple, and blue adds more depth and calmness to the surroundings. A good combination would be to mix cool and warm colors, because it adds variety and versatility to the location.

Unity

In landscape design, unity is fulfilled by consistency and cohesiveness of the plants, lights, and props. Landscapes that possess unity need to be round and dynamic, not static and flat. Having a good layout and design theme will ensure the solidarity of the garden. Both plants and props in the design can be blended into forming colors, height, size, and texture of the garden as a whole. Grouping the plants can be a good way to achieve unity. This is done by paring and matching like elements together in order to achieve coherence and proportion.

Flow

The linear arrangement of the plants allude to the flow of the garden. The flow can either be curved, circular, boxed, or any permutation of the two, to bring out a smooth and graceful atmosphere. Straight lines suggest a more energetic structure, while curved structures hint submissive features. The direction of the plants can also taken into account. The plants’ direction can impose diversity, organization, and vitality altogether.

Proportion

Proportion is another characteristic that landscapes need to have. Balance it the key to proportion. Gardens must be composed of large and small objects so that the general look is not dull. Proportion mostly tackles the texture of the design. This facet of design deals with the organization of the elements in the garden. This entails proper planning of the blueprints and layouts so that designers can see a projected image of the final product.

Has proven experience in the field

While the premise of delivering water to your lawn and landscaping sounds simple in theory — installing irrigation systems is as much of a science as it is a business-to-consumer service. Any Joe or Jane can dig a trench, lay PVC pipe, and hook up a couple of sprinklers, but irrigation system installation is much more complicated than simple, around-the-house maintenance work. Usually, the layout of your property, water pressure, and water flow rate, among other factors, determines how your irrigation system should be setup.
Professionally installed irrigation systems can actually save you money in the long run, and this is why it is important to choose a landscaping company that has proven experience with irrigation system installation.

Listens to your needs

It’s unfortunate, but in some cases, even “professional” landscaping companies tend to ignore the thoughts and concerns of their clients. Actually, this is more common that most people would think. While there are limitations on how irrigation systems can be installed, professional companies should listen to your needs, and your concerns, and work with you to come up with a water delivery system that suits your own needs and tastes.

Offers full-service installation, repair, and maintenance

Even the best irrigation systems need maintenance from time to time — either due to use, a one-time mishap by a utility company, or for any number of reasons, really. Furthermore, if you live in a cold-winter area, you will probably need to winterize your irrigation system to protect it during the cold months, and possibly will need a company to come through in the spring to be sure that everything is in good working order. In your search for a landscaping company for your irrigation system installation, look for one that can work with you — year round, for all of your landscaping needs.

Installing irrigation systems is a specialized skill — one that should be handled by caring, and experienced, professionals. While qualifying a landscaper does take more effort than just choosing a company at random — you, and your lawn, will be glad that you took a few minutes to choose the right company the first time around.

A landscape architect can suggest ideas to use driveways, patios, retaining walls or walkways that may provide not only aesthetic, but functional solutions to existing problems. A curved driveway may provide an easier approach to a sloped terrain. A covered patio could supply the needed shade in order to obtain an energy efficient indoor living area. Improper drainage, erosion or run-off problems could be eliminated with a stone retaining wall or a strategically placed brick walkway.

The pleasure of hearing the soothing sound of flowing water, with the addition of a waterfall or fountain, is a desirable feature in residential landscaping. The professional architect or designer can provide the project that is best suited for your property. Whether the relaxing sound is created by a waterfall that is cascading from a flowing stream or a wall fountain that is placed near your favorite outdoor living area, the feature will be a pleasant addition when entertaining your family and friends.

An experienced professional can provide the homeowner with an irrigation system that is suitable to the needs and demands of the landscape. With horticultural knowledge, the landscape designer is able to plan the installation of an effective sprinkler system that is designed to be not only functional according to the specific plant requirements, but also focus on water conservation.

Illuminating features will provide the finishing touch to a garden, by highlighting a sculpture or fountain. The use of lighting will also compliment the residential landscaping and focus on a pond or ornamental planting to bring attention to these features not normally noticed during the day. Low voltage outdoor lighting will not only provide a pleasant ambiance, but will increase safety and security. A pathway that is gently lit will provide a welcoming entrance for your guests. Strategically placed lighting could deter an intruder and provide added security to the home.

To avoid disappointment and unnecessary expenses, a credible residential landscaping professional is highly recommended. This will provide quality workmanship and service, for a successful project from the beginning to the end.

What a good landscaper can do for you

Professional landscapers will work with your ideas and bring them to life by using their unique expertise and experience to carry out the plan you develop together. When you meet, a landscape designer will weigh several factors to ensure a successful outcome to the proposal you are given. They include the architectural style of your home, the site’s outstanding features, existing soil conditions, exposure to wind and sunlight, and your property’s grading. You will also discuss the landscape’s functional needs and your budget constraints to arrive at a workable plan. Then, based on the consultant’s knowledge of horticulture, the principals of design, and practical experience with many similar projects, you will be given a comprehensive master plan (or sketch) to carry out that design to your satisfaction. (This will vary, depending on the scope of the project.)

A word about hardscaping

This gives form and function to your landscape, and the flooring, sitting walls, and stairs form its foundation and define its space. It also means that driveways, walks, patios, and walls, should be custom-designed to complement your home and meet your family’s particular needs. With this in mind, you will want to select from the wide range of styles, colors, and patterns that industry leaders have to offer, rather than work with just a few choices.

Where Chesapeake Landscape & Design fits in

With twenty years of experience behind us, we will select the plants, irrigation, hardscaping, and lighting that are just right for your project, and you will also see how retaining walls, ponds, pavers, and outdoor lighting can add to the beauty of your home. After you approve the plan, our staff will coordinate the landscaping with our experienced installers, guaranteeing that you will be totally satisfied with the results.

For more information, visit our website at Chesapeake Landscape & Design, or call (410) 202-8925.